The Great Outdoors
by prometheus246
Summary: A routine mission goes wrong and after some time as lab rats, SG1 are forced to prove the strength of their training and friendship against the harsh environment as they try to make it home in one piece. A good helping of SJ hurt n comfort.
1. Sunny P2K 485?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything: names, characters etc. etc... yadda yadda I just use them all for entertainment purposes. All hail MGM! (the ACTUAL owners!)

**The Great Outdoors.**

Chapter 1

Colonel O'Neill strode into the gate room, through the blast doors ahead of his team, pulling his baseball cap over his graying hair. George Hammond stood above them, watching through the control room window as his flagship team prepared to "embark".Beside him, Sergeant Harriman spoke into the loudspeaker.

"Chevron 7 locked."

Below, in the gate room, the vortex rushed forward above their heads before settling back into a shimmering vertical pool confined within the enormous ring of the stargate and filling the room with flickering blue light.

Having given his team a once over, Jack was satisfied that they were all "properly attired" and equipped and he turned his attention to the control room window, while General Hammond flicked the switch on the mike.

"SG-1 you have a go. We expect you to return or make contact within 24 hours." His deep Texan voice rang through the gate room

Throwing his CO a mock salute and a cheeky smirk, he turned back to his friends."SG-1 move out!"

His 2IC started up the ramp, followed by Daniel and the two disappeared through the shimmering event horizon of the wormhole. Jack walked slowly up the ramp beside Teal'c, the last member of his oddball team.

"So Teal'c, what do you think we'll find on sunny P2K 485?" His jaffa friend raised an eyebrow.

"I am unsure O'Neill however, the MALP showed a well traveled path leading from the stargate."

"Really? A path you say? Sounds mighty dangerous to me Teal'c." Smirking, Jack glanced sideways at Teal'c, enjoying the look of quiet inner confusion on the big man's face as he pondered the intricacies of the unusual Tau'ri sense of humor.

SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1

Sam emerged from the wormhole on P2K 485 and moved quickly to the bottom of the leaf strewn steps, her P90 raised, scanning the surrounding woodland.

She heard the gate shut off and became aware of Colonel O'Neill in her peripheral vision, imitating her defensive stance a few yards away, to her left.

"Clear Carter?"

"Yes Sir."

"Good. Same here." He lowered his P90, flashing her a grin that caused her heart to stop beating for a moment. She watched him as he pulled off his baseball to run a hand through his hair. _/Oh God why does he have to do that/_

Unaware of the effect he was having Jack leaned slightly closer to pull the major out of wherever her enormous mind was wandering to_ # Probably theatrical physics or some unsolvable equation.# "_Hey! P2K 485 to Carter!" She jumped and looked up at him trying to pull her head back into place and having realised he had made her uncomfortable, Jack moved quickly out of her personal space. "Let's see what's got Daniel wetting his pants." _#yup, jokes are good to lighten an awkward situation#_ Sam smirked and nodded, slipping back into the easy banter and camaraderie and she followed him in the direction of their two friends.

Daniel was stood by the DHD chattering at Teal'c about something 'amazing' about the flowers decorating it. Teal'c stood patiently allowing Daniel's tirade to wash over him, keeping a neutral expression fixed firmly on his broad face.

AS Jacki approached with Sam at his shoulder, Daniel spotted him and redirected his stream of incoherent babbling in the direction of his leader instead. While Sam nodded and listened carefully, Jack gave Daniel about 20 seconds to ramble before screwing his eyes closed and holding u a hand to shut him up.

"Daniel, for cryin' out loud, just give it to me in three simple sentences okay?"

Ignoring Sam's quickly stifled giggle, Daniel threw Jack a dirty look.

"OK...1. The DHD has flowers on it."

"Well thank you for your outstanding observation Danny, but we noticed that. What's 2?"

"Right. 2. Um... This probably means that it is an important part of their culture, whoever 'they' are0 and the flowers could be some sort of ritualistic thing or maybe an offering, perhaps to some sort of god --"

"Woah Danny!" Jack's attention was now 100 on the young archaeologist. "Gods?... as in...goa'ulds?"

A/N Chapter 2 up in maybe a couple of weeks. This is my first story so please feedback and be honest but not brutal. I realize it's not much to go on but tell me how the general storytelling/portrayal of characters etc is going.


	2. Greeting

The Great Outdoors 2

Previously: "Woah Danny!" Jack's attention was now 100 on the young archaeologist. "Gods?... as in...goa'ulds?"

Chapter 2

"No Jack, I don't think so, first of all I highly doubt the goa'uld would be too pleased with...flowers, um and well, the gate would probably guarded..."Daniel petered off looking less sure of himself.

Jack has to admit that Daniel had a point about the flowers but wasn't completely convinced by his jargon and turned to Sam for confirmation.

"Carter?"

"I agree with Daniel sir, I don't think there can be any goa'uld here. The UAV did a ten mile sweep and found no sign of technology just some basic roads. Even if the gate weren't guarded, there would certainly be something within ten miles of it."

Daniel jumped in the back Sam up "exactly and it's very unusual for a goa'uld to make a settlement of any kind that's that far away from the gate. I mean, they're not known for their love of long walks."

Teal'c decided to throw in his 2 cents. "O'Neill, this address was extrapolated from the repository of the ancients. It is unlikely The goa'uld know of it's existence."

"Thank you Teal'c, now I'm convinced. Isn't it great when we can all work together to solve a problem!" The smile that lit his face proved Daniel's suspicion that Jack had been convinced by his first argument and had thoroughly enjoyed taking them all for a ride.

"Now then, kids let's get moving I don't see a sign for a motel anywhere near." He turned back toward the muddy path and stopped dead in his tracks.

A large group of men stood across the path, watching SG1 in a sort of superior curiosity. Jack was relieved to notice that none carried anything that looked like a weapon. There were six men in uniform, surrounding three men who carried themselves with a air of authority and behind the uniformed group stood two teenage boys with a small girl holding each of their hands. All wore long heavy coats over robes that wouldn't look out of place in a monestary and all in different colours.

The man at the front of the group with dark grey hair pulled back in a ponytail stepped forward.

"Welcome." He spread his arms in a very "welcoming" gesture and smiled waiting for a response.

After waiting a moment for Jack so say something...anything, and deciding they must look like idiots right now, Daniel stepped forward and smiled back at the man.

"Um...hi I'm Daniel Jackson. This is Teal'c, Major Samantha Carter and Colonel Jack O'Neill. We're peaceful explorers from a planet called earth."

"I am Hyden. I am the governor of the nearest city." This is Marshal, my secretary and Karn, my assistant. These" He indicated the three youngsters."Are the three who alerted us of your arrival. They were walking nearby and heard the great ring."

Daniel interrupted the man. "Yes the uh the great ring we were just wondering about the flowers on the DHD."

Hyden's forehead creased in confusion. "DHD?"

Sam took a small step towards the Governor."It stands for dial home device. It's the device used to control the Stargate... the great ring. --"

"That thing!" Jack waved his P90 in the direction of the DHD giving his second a pointed look.

Hyden looked pleased with the development. "Yes, the control table." He beamed around at them all.

"Yes do you use it regularly. I mean... do you know how it works?" Teal'c took the time while Daniel said this to move closer to Jack. "They do not appear to be far behind us in advancement O'Neill but I am certain that they are not in the service of the goa'uld." While Daniel moved toward the DHD along with Hyden, gesturing a the symbols covering it's surface, Sam joined the whispered conversation. "I agree with Teal'c sir but it's hard to tell about their level of technology with just their clothing to go on."

"Hmm.." Jack kept his gaze on the stern looking men in the dark grey uniforms. "What about those guys? Guards?" Sam Nodded

"Possible. They don't seem to have any weapons."

"Perhaps they have no need of them."

"Hey guys." Daniel called to get their attention. "Hyden says that they use the Stargate a lot for trade but they've never seen anybody who could be a goa'uld. Right Hyden."

"No never, and we have never met anybody such as yourselves either. Your clothing and... accessories are very strange to us. The flowers are left by some of the more superstitious of our population. Some believe that to travel across space simply by stepping into a great ring must be the doing of some higher being. Some simply leave flowers as thanks to whoever created the great ring for opening the new possibilities it offers to us."

"So how do you know which symbols to dial? Was there some writing left somewhere?" Daniel's eyes lit up at the prospect.

"No. We only know the symbols for people who have visited us and who wish to trade. They give us the symbols to their planets."

"You've never tried to find out any for yourself?" Sam couldn't imagine having the opportunity to investigate the technology and not doing so.

"We are content simply to trade with people who made contact with us. Many in the government feared that to step too far out of our boundaries would incur the wrath of some less diplomatic cultures that must surely exist in a galaxy so big as ours."

Jack leaned closer to Teal'c and muttered out of the corner of his mouth. "Sounds like these guys have got the right idea."

"Indeed."

Hyden turned and moved back to the large group. "Please." he gestured to the path that lead into the trees. "We have transport waiting at the edge of the forest. We will take you to the city.

SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1

A ten minute walk later and the group stepped out from the thinning trees into bright sunshine. The muddy track joined a wide paved road on which were parked two large vans. Sam stopped walking and Jack collided with her back.

"Christ Carter! Give me a warning next time will ya." Jack murmured rubbing his chest which had caught the butt of the P90 slung across her back and trying to shake his head clear of the delicious scent of Sam that was floating around him.

"Sorry sir, it's just...look at the mountains." Jack moved his gaze upwards from where he had been following the cutely ruffled strands of Sam's blonde hair, from his vantage point just behind her to the view of an incredible mountain range in the distance.

The scenery was magnificent and the setting sun cast stunning colours and harsh shadows across the hills making the snow covered higher slopes glow. Daniel and Teal'c stood a few feet ahead of them also admiring the view until Daniel asked.

"Where's the city?"

Hyden came from talking with one of the uniformed men to answer his question. "On the opposite side of the mountains."

Jack stared at the man in the dress with disbelief written all over his face. "And... those trucks are gonna get us over a freakin' mountain how exactly?"

"They have the ability to disappear from one place and appear in another, travelling through the space between instantaneously. Do you not possess this technology?" He turned to the only woman in the group of strange travellers, who was stood with her eyes wide gaping at him. _Blue_

_eyes. Extraordinary. _"You do not?"

Sam replied in amazement. "We have some allies who have the technology to beam from one place to another but we have never thought to incorporate it into existing vehicles. It's genius. Sir this kind of technology would be incredibly useful on earth.

Jack couldn't help getting caught up in her obvious delight at the new technology. "Sure you betcha. I could lie in in the mornings." Sam rolled her eyes at him before turning back to Hyden.

"We'd be very willing to trade for this kind of technology. It would be extremely useful to the people on our planet." She smiled warmly at the man trying to win his trust. Apparently it worked.

"I am sure we can agree on some sort of arrangement but for now we have a short drive in order to be far enough from the trees to engage the transport drive. We will discuss trade tomorrow once you are rested." He turned away from them and began issuing orders to the uniformed "guards" and to his assistant he said. "Send the children in the second van with Marshal and return them to their parents. I will take our guests to their accommodations."

SG1 climbed into the back of on of the large vans and sat on the benches lining the walls. Hyden opened a grille between the front compartment where he sat with Karn. "I hope you are all comfortable. The journey will not be long."

Jack put his face up close to the grille to speak making Hyden move backwards in surprise at the man's strange behaviour.

"Sure Haden." He was grinning like a maniac now, glad to be sitting down and happy to frighten the alien man with his 'Jack O'Neill' antics. "We'll just sit tight." 

Hyden nodded nervously and closed the grille. A moment later, the van lurched to a start throwing Sam sideways into Jack's shoulder.

"Ouch sorry sir. I guess they aren't that used to driving."

On the other side of the van Daniel and Teal'c had both noticed how little the colonel seemed to be bothered by having his pretty 2IC pressed into his side however briefly. Daniel studied the floor to hide his knowing smile and Teal'c's eyebrow raised a fraction but neither said anything.

In the front of the van Karn was looking nervous as he drove eventually daring to throw a sidelong glance at his boss and ask. "Sir, what if they will not cooperate."

Hyden was looking incredibly pleased with himself as his air of self importance went up a few notches.

Meanwhile in the back the comfortable silence which had followed the uncomfortable moment was replaced with a soft hissing and the compartment began to fill slowly wit red gas from the floor upward. Jack raised his head for a second from studying his hands. "What the --" before the whole sentence was out of his mouth all four crumpled, motionless to the floor in an unconscious heap.


	3. Frustration

**AN sorry for the wait guys but I'll do the next chapter soon ( and by soon I mean probably tomorrow) I struggled to decide what to do with them, cause I had a few possible ways for it to go. **

When Teal'c woke, he kept his eyes shut. He had learned over his many years that this was a smart thing to do. It is also not as easy as it looks usually because if you wake from a really deep sleep you can never put your finger on the point at which you stopped being asleep and became aware of the fact that you were awake and usually these two points are quite a few minutes apart.

He listened. Nobody moving nearby, no voices and no breathing within his hearing distance. There was something though...a very faint whining hum. He opened his eyes and without moving his head could see nothing of danger in his line of view. He also couldn't feel any pain and so... he sat up. Looking around he saw that the place he was in was very dark put as his eyes grew accustomed to the lack of light he could see unconscious people on the floor beside him. Colonel O'Neill, Daniel Jackson, both disarmed ..but no Major Carter.

Locating his commander he gave Jack a rough shake to wake him and Jack helpfully rolled over onto Daniel waking him and saving Teal'c the trouble.

"Woah! T? Wha.. Ack, Daniel! Get your glasses outa my ass for crying out loud!"

There was a muffled sound which sounded quite a lot like Daniel cursing at Jack's backside before he managed to extricate himself.

"Dammit Jack I would, if you kept your ass off my glasses, I – "

"Shut up Daniel, Carter's missing."

"Yeah well, she'd say the same thing cause.. what?"

Jack had been going through his mental checklist which, if everything was ticked meant that he was mostly okay and was happy to goof around. He had made it through number 1 (_alive_) and had tried to check off number 2 ( which was double barreled: consisting of _check Carter's okay_ and _check Danny and T are okay_)when he'd hit a snag. Carter wasn't here. This meant that he definitely wasn't okay and was in no mood to goof around with Daniel.

"She's not here genius we've been split up!"

"Oh no."

"Ya think?"

"It is likely she has been taken for interrogation O'Neill."

"Yeah, I was afraid of that." Jack murmured as he made his way around the tiny, dark room they were trapped in, running his hands along the walls trying to find a way out. What he found in one wall seemed to be the edges of a door but it had no handle or lock and was wedged tightly into it's alcove that it didn't budge when he and Teal' threw their shoulders against it.

"Dammit."

Meanwhile Daniel had been inspecting the opposite wall when his fingers ran over something smooth and circular like a eyeball set into the wall, just above head height.

"Hey guys. I think this is a camera here."

"That's nice Daniel, be sure to smile."

"Jack don't be an ass, just try to get them to let us out."

"Thanks for the invitation and all but you tend to be better at the whole persuasion and general human communication thing than me."

"Well ...I did think about that, but I figured that you'd butt in after the first few seconds anyway so why not just do it yourself." The sarcasm in his voice rose to a height that would have made Jack proud if it hadn't been directed at him.

Though he wouldn't show it Teal'c was growing irritated with his teammates antagonizing each other and since Major Carter wasn't around to put a stop to it, as was usually her place to do he stepped in.

"O'Neill, it would probably be productive to make a direct request for freedom." He chose his words carefully to make sure that it didn't sound like he was just agreeing with Daniel, which of course he was, but he understood O'Neill's frustration. All three men on the team had an instinct to protect Sam, as the only woman on the team but none of them would voice it for fear of offending the headstrong major. With O'Neill however, Teal'c believed there was something more. Something not quite as fraternal as the way he and Daniel Jackson felt.

Jack sighed, and thrust his face up close to the camera in the wall _May as well give 'em a fright._

"Hey!" he waved cheerfully " We're awake in here. You should probably let us out soon or uh Daniel's diaper's gonna honk something awful!" Daniel rolled his eyes and turned to knock on the door again.

"Hey c'mon, be a sport, open up and we can all be friends again." The door clicked. Jack turned quickly away from the camera and Daniel backed away from the door. When it opened then three squinted into the light as it pierced through the darkness and a man in the familiar gray uniform stepped into the doorway, an interesting looking weapon in his hand, pointed at the remaining members of SG1.

"You are to be taken to the institute." Jack stepped forward toward the door, raising his hands when the man jerked his weapon in Jack' s direction. Outside a group of six more guards stood waiting to escort them.

" Yeah... always knew I'd hear those words some day." He stepped out of the door at the guard's gesture to do so, followed by Teal'c and Daniel.

"Hey uh, just one question" Jack turned his head back the guard who had first entered the cell, as they walked down the long corridor. " ..the other member of my team, Major Carter? Were the hell is she? Just outa curiosity." Jack kept his tone light and sarcastic. It was what he was best at, pissing off the guys with guns.

"Silence!" The guard walking beside Jack swiftly hit him around the head with the butt of his "gun".

Jack grimaced at the man and swiped some imaginary saliva out of his eye as the guard ahead opened a door in the wall and ushered the group through.

**AN Soooo.. I quite like the banter in this chapter but you can tell me what you think. Next chapter we'll find out what happened to Sam and what kind of "institute" the guys have been sent to. Till next time...**


	4. “I've Saved You”

**AN Next chapter is up and it's all about what's going on with Sam the next chapter is a split of Sam and the guys, and will prob be up tomorrow. Enjoy **

** thumbs up **

Chapter 4 - "I've Saved You."

When Sam woke the first thing she noticed was that she was gagged. Her whole body felt somehow distant from her as the effects of whatever was in her system wore off. She tried to remember what had happened in the truck. She remembered feeling embarrassed and then...red...and then black.

She tried to move, testing to make sure that all limbs were in their proper places. Her hands were held behind her back with something, digging painfully into her wrists. She was grateful at least that whatever filled her mouth was clean. Slowly, sense spread to all parts of her brain more important facts revealed themselves to her foggy consciousness. She had been disarmed,she was lying on a lush carpet, there was a wall and a window in her line of view: out of which she could see nothing but a cloudy sky.

Behind her, there were hurried footsteps and someone spoke in an urgent whisper.

"Governor, they have awoken."Sam quickly closed her eyes again. "The men sir, they've found the camera."

Sam stiffened suddenly as Colonel O'Neill's voice filled the room.

"Hey! We're awake in here. You should probably let us out soon or uh Daniel's diaper's gonna honk something awful!"

Sam would have laughed out loud but she was too busy desperately trying to locate where the Colonel's sarcastic remark had come from. She couldn't see him and tipping her head as far back as the floor and her stiff neck would allow, all she could see was the backs of two men. She recognized Hyden's maroon robe and black ponytail but there was no sign of any of the other members of her team. _/ Red flag! Alone and tied up, NOT good./ _Tied up she could handle, but tied up with her team gone was a big problem. _/Fuck/_

Hyden turned suddenly and before she had time to pretend to be asleep he caught her wide eyes and his shock registered momentarily before he schooled his features into an apologetic smile which gave Sam the biggest urge to flip him off. /_Damn tied hands./ _

After shooing the man who had brought him the news of his other prisoners Hyden moved to crouch down in front of Sam. She fought the urge to recoil and gazed steadily back at him keeping her expression as neutral as possible. He deftly reached to untie the cloth around her mouth his hands lingering on her face longer than the task required. Sam's gazed hardened. The expression of sympathy on Hyden's face was so transparent a toddler could have seen through it.

"I am sorry. Sometimes people are confused when they wake from the effects of the petzl. We did not wish you to hurt anybody, you will have to remain restrained until I am sure you understand where you are and why you are here."

"Where am I? And why did you gas us in the first place?" Her voice was steady but she was sure the grinding of her teeth could be heard back on earth.

"I'm sorry. Truly I am our society is struggling. We are running out of testers and because of it our economy is suffering and our people's quality of life is falling. We must have testers or our way of life as we know it will come to an end. I'm sure you understand, being a person whose job is to find ways to protect the way of life of her people."

"Wait a minute back up. What's a Tester? Why are they so important." None of what Hyden had said seemed to relate to being gassed with knockout juice as far as she could tell.

"Testers are people who have no life here. They are worthless to us: criminals, people who can't or won't contribute to society, people who think they can explore our planet at will like public park. We use them as testers."

Sam struggled to sit up as he was talking but he pressed a hand to her shoulder. Deciding that it would probably be best to play the good little prisoner, at least for the time being she lay back on the carpet and listened content with glaring daggers despite the fact he seemed oblivious to the growing hatred being thrown in his direction.

"Testers are used to test the product our country produces. Without the proper testing they cannot be sold. We must have testers so we use the people who would be a drain on society otherwise. This way they can fulfill a purpose."

As things fell into place, Sam's anger evolved into outright fury at what was being implied.

"People like me you mean." This time when she attempted to sit up he did not stop her. "We came to your planet as peaceful explorers and because we think we can't contribute to your society you knock us out then use us as lab rats."

"Yes, it is the law, without the testers our cities would not function. But you are mistaken. You are not to be made a tester." He smiled fondly at her in a way that made her sick to the stomach. "I have saved you. You can stay with me as a citizen and you will never have to suffer the punishment most like you do. I could not see them ruin you, a person of you outstanding beauty is too rare. He brushed her face briefly before cutting the plastic tie around her wrists.

**AN Sorry this wasn't as long as I had expected but I got invited to a BBQ and well... I went. Also had a wrestling match over the remote at said BBQ. Will probably update tomorrow but no promises. I have more of an idea where I'm going with this now thanks to a brainwave I had this morning I figured out how to get where I was going. Anyway ... reviewing is fun and makes us all better people. hint Also any comments or requests for the plot...Also apologies for the short chapters but I am updating quickly so feel no remorse haha.**


	5. Taking It Personally

**AN Hi guys this is chapter 5. I hit a wall in my revision and was so bored I was reduced to counting my spork collection : D And since I can't stick to them I will stop making promises about when I will update bows head in shame but anyway...**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 5 – Taking it Personally

The three men were ushered through the door and the soldiers spread out along the walls of the small room. The guy Jack had smart mouthed opened one of the small, square metal doors on the walls and threw a blue jumpsuit to each of them.

"Change."

Daniel and Teal'c obeyed without comment and Jack, who was still pissed about the guy hitting him in the head glowered darkly for a moment before grudgingly pulling off his jacket and BDU pants.

Once changed, they were herded through the next door into a bathroom, carrying their BDUs.

"Wash your hands and faces." Jack couldn't keep his mouth shut at this and spun on his heel to face to guard who's colleagues quickly stepped up behind him. Jack wasn't going to pick a fight with seven armed men but he wasn't going to be a pushover either.

"Y'know, I tried not to take it personally with the change of clothes thing but now your making me wash. If you got something to say, then just say it okay, I can take it."

"Wash!" He raised his weapon threateningly, so Jack took the hint and turned towards the sink nodding his assent to the Daniel and Teal'c, who stood waiting behind him. Daniel rolled his eyes at Jack who had to quell the urge to stick out his tongue. Daniel could be insufferable sometimes. The water flooded form the spray jets, a bright blue.

Daniel turned wide eyed to the guards.

"Uh, why's the water that colour? Only, where we come from, it's not... that colour."

"It has a cleaning agent in it." The three men washed their hands and faces, watched carefully the whole time by their entourage of guards. When they were finished, they were pushed through yet another door and left alone in the huge room beyond, being told,

"You will wait here until the others arrive." before the door was shut and locked behind them.

SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1

Sam had been alone in the room she had awoken in since Hyden had untied her and left. All she could see from the window was a vast city scape and the same mountain, from the other side now. She had tried, without success, to open the door Hyden had left through. Now she sat on the couch staring around the room waiting for somebody to arrive and explain things to her.

The light from the window was dimming when Hyden finally returned and sat smiling on the couch beside her. Sam edged away.

"I hope that I have given you enough time to come to terms with your new situation."

Sam stared at him with _Yeah right_ written all over her face.

"I don't even get what my 'new situation' is and I'm sorry but I won't settle with one that doesn't involve going home with my friends."

"You don't understand. That is not an option. All who invade our planet become testers. You are extraordinarily lucky that I have saved you from that life."

"No! I won't stay here with you, while they're prisoners. I don't even know what you expect me to do here for the rest of my life." It seemed to be impossible to phase this guy because now a bright smile lit his face again.

"You can do what you want. Because of me you can be a citizen her and you can stay with me and we will be happy." Sam was sure that the look on her face must be readable to anybody but Hyden seemed determined to stay blind to the obvious.

"Happy? You can't expect me to ever be more than a prisoner here." His mile faltered _Finally_

"You are very lucky that I have helped you." he reiterated and carefully replaced his smile before continuing. "One day you will understand how much you owe me and I am confident that you will return the way I feel for you." He reached and covered Sam's hand where it lay, with his own. She withdrew it quickly and stood, her patience fast running out. 

"No! I won't. Ever. You can't keep a person, or their friends prisoner and expect them to love you and I will _not_ play happy families with you up here while my friends are acting as your slaves!" She finally looked back and was shocked by the change in him. He now sat, his hand still rested where hers had been but his expression was hard and dangerous.

"Then you will suffer the same fate as your friends." He strode to the wall beside the small desk and hit a button. "I saved you and offered you a free life and you are ungrateful. Perhaps when have lived the alternative you will see what I have done for you and understand how lucky you are that I chose to help you." Two bulky men in the Familiar gray uniform strode into the room, looking to Hyden for instructions. "She is to become a tester." The soldiers gripped her upper arms, almost lifting her from the floor. " When you are tired and ill and realise what you have forsaken, you need only tell the marshals that you have changed your mind and perhaps I will consider extending my generosity again."

The men began to haul her from the room but Hyden held up a hand to pause them in their tracks. Leaning close into her personal space, he spoke softly. "You can still change your mind now, Major Carter." Sam kept the disquiet she felt at having the man so close to her face hidden and looked back into his dark eyes with her jaw set.

"Not a chance." Hyden stepped back sharply and Sam thought he was about to turn away when completely out of the blue he struck her sharply across the face with the back of his hand, the ring he wore drawing blood. Sam was shocked, and it showed. Until now she had still held vestiges of pity for the apparently naive governor.

Now the fury showed white hot in her eyes as her watched the guards drag her through the door and down the steps outside.

**AN Dunno when I will update but I think it will be soon. Hope you enjoyed it. I know a lot of people were looking forward to Sam rejecting this guy good n proper – hope it worked for ya but y don't you click the friendly review button and tell me instead of leaving me in suspense.**

**TTFN – prometheus246**


	6. Welcome To The Institute

Hi guys I'm back . Sorry about the time between.

In this chapter SG1 are all reunited and are introduced to some aspects of life in The Institute (dun dun dun!)

I do feel kinda bad about forcing Daniel to be the comic relief a lot 'cause I'm not a Daniel hater and he is really smart. If anybody is a serious Daniel _lover_ and it's bugging you let me know :D

Also I dunno if I've mentioned this before but the ideas for the institute are taken from "The Supernaturalists" by Eoin Colfer. They are NOT mine, I'm just borrowing. And all Stargate SG1 characters, places etc. _still_ don't belong to me (I'm saving up)

Anyhoo on with the story...

Enjoy!

Chapter 6 – Welcome To The Institute.

As the sound of the lock echoed ominously, Jack called through the glass panel. "Thanks for the clothes n wash guys. We'll just... show ourselves out."

He turned around and his mouth fell open._ Wow! _"Big room."

'Big' didn't do the size of the room they were stood in justice. It looked to be about 400 yards long and about 70 wide. The ceiling was high and Daniel got the impression this place had once been a factory floor. There were two doors in the wall. One of which they had just come through. The real eye-opener however was what hung about 50 feet from the ground spanning half of the room.

"Jack look." Daniel pointed...and Jack looked, despite his reluctance to be impressed by anything these assholes had built the contraption above his head was ...big ...and strange. In rows and columns and layered up to the ceiling was a vast collection of pipes. Each pipe was a section about 6 feet long and all aligned the same way, connected to pipes on either side by strong wires and all forming an enormous grid network.

Ladders joined each ladder to the one in the layer above it and the top layer hung from the ceiling on thick chains.

"It's like a city." Daniel seemed thoroughly awestruck. Jack closed his mouth and turned to the gaping archaeologist with a very forced smile on his face.

"OK Daniel, any idea as to what it _is_?"

"Um, no not really I mean it could be anything." Daniels blatant admiring of the _swell collection of tunnels_ couldn't fail to irritate Jack, especially since when Daniel was admiring something, he did little else useful. It had lead to the rest of SG1 being very embarrassed on several occasions when a semi drunk Daniel got to _admiring_ somebody in a bar. It tended to make him him spill his drink, a lot. Jack forced himself to remain patient. "Well Daniel, stop gawking and give us some guesses as to what it might be.

Daniel to his credit looked slightly ashamed and shook his head to get his brain in order. "Well, it could be something industrial that we've never seen before; it could be an experiment; for all I know it could be art."

"So... they gassed us;locked us in a room; made us change and wash our hands with Carter's left over Jell-o..." He said motioning to their bundles of clothing and blue tinted hands. "...and then they gave us a free pass to the art museum, which though being here with you might drive me and Teal'c crazy, seems to utterly thrill you." Daniel glared at him. Jack had been in an unusually fowl mood since they regained consciousness and he seemed to be doomed to take the brunt of his harsh sarcasm, although he had a sneaking suspicion as to what was causing Jack to be so damn tense...

"I disagree Daniel Jackson."

"Wha--?" _Did I say that out loud!_

"I believe it is accommodation."

"I—oh, right yeah. Why do you say that?"

"The ladders suggest that it is used regularly and I do not believe that it could be industrial since there does not appear to be any source of power leading to it."

"No. You're probably right Teal'c. I should have thought of that."

Jack let the two men talk it out between them. Given enough time they usually came up with something useful.

"OK, so we're going with beds, yes?"

"We are O'Neill."

"Well, good at least we're getting some--" The second door behind them opened and a large group of people crowded in. There looked to be about 200 people; all adults; all wearing the same blue jumpsuits Jack, Teal'c and Daniel had been forced to change into. The crowded into the room, ushered by more armed, uniformed guards. Once the first noticed the three men stood gaping at them (except Teal'c, obviously, who merely raised an eyebrow) they slowed from their brisk shuffles to a cautious stroll; fanning out into the room until the three men of SG-1 were surrounded on all sides by curious stares. Among the faces, there were those who looked less innocent, more hostile, but most simply regarded them with neutral interest.

Noticing the unusual behavior of the residents, the wardens pushed their way through the crowd to the centre where the three men stood looking nervous, irritated and/or stoic.

"All righty, looks like we've got some new... guests." Jack gave the derisive marshal a glare which left nobody in any doubt as to what he would do with the man were it not for the fact that the marshal was armed and he wasn't. "Be sure to make 'em feel welcome. Ladders up in ten." The crowd around the men of SG1 began to disperse as people split off into small groups; waiting for the marshals to leave before breaking into low chatter.

One short, bald man made his way forward. He stopped nervously in front of them, trying, it seemed, to stand closer to Daniel and further from Teal'c.

"I am Roan." All three waited for him to continue but he simply stood gazing back at them expectantly. Teal'c nudged Daniel.

"Hi' I'm..Daniel Jackson;this is Colonel Jack O'Neill and Teal'c. Roan smiled back up at him and held out his hand to shake Daniel's.

"Welcome." Once again, silence reigned but again Roan said nothing more. This time Jack decided to try communicating.

"Hey Roan, this is a nice place and all but ...what _ is_ it?"

"It _is_ the institute." Roan replied mimicking Jack's intonation.

"OK... What does on do in the institute?"

"If you have been sent to the institute ten you are a tester."

"Which is...?"

"Testers are--" A loud siren drowned out the rest of Roan's sentence and at the same time, ladders descended from the ceiling with loud metallic grindings; level with each row of pipes. The small man's eyes went wide and suddenly he found his tongue. " Quickly! The alarm means that in two minutes, the ladders will retract and anybody left on the floor will be stuck.

The crowds rushed to reach the ladders piling up them, pushing the people ahead with such urgency Daniel thought it was incredible that none of them fell. They peeled off at different levels, climbing expertly along the network of pipes and disappearing inside. Jack watched the performance, ignoring Roan's hand tugging on his jumpsuit sleeve. Now most of the pipes were full and faces could be seen peering down on them in cold interest as if watching a football game.

"What's so bad about being stuck on the floor?" He turned back to Roan who was now yanking desperately on his sleeve in a way that reminded Jack of Charlie in a split second of weakness. Roan pointed frantically behind him to the high walls. Jack Daniel and Teal'c looked and saw electric blue sparks spreading down the walls from the top one row of tiles at a time, covering the distance quickly and rushing towards the floor. Teal'c now hoisted Daniel by the collar, lifting him bodily and flinging him onto the nearest ladder.

"O'Neill! The floor of this room will be electric within moments!" Jack heard him and understood easily what Teal'c was shouting at him but movement had caught his eyes. The door at the top of the hall opened again and Jack's stomach lurched, seeing his Major, now in the all too familiar blue uniform, pushed roughly through the door where she slumped, dazed to the floor.

"Carter!" Jack sprinted to her, watching the blue sparks rushing down the wall towards her.

The sound of her CO's voice caused an immediate response within Sam. Since she had first joined his team;desperate to prove herself to her new commander; she has instantly obeyed any command he gave her. Since then, she had earned his respect and she had grown to trust him more and more. Going to the end of the earth if her asked her to, came as naturally to her as breathing and one of her biggest hidden fears was ever letting him down.

Now he was shouting for her attention and despite the exhaustion in her body he was damn well going to get it. Quickly looking up, she saw him at a dead sprint. His eyes were fixed on a point above her head, alarm written clearly on his face. Looking behind her Sam saw blue sparks rushing towards her and followed survival instinct, scrambling to her feet and running as fast as she could away from them. Sprinting down the hall, she heard the crackle of electricity as the blue sparks spread over the floor, nipping at her heels.

Jack met her part way, grabbing her hand and hauling her with him towards the ladders. Teal'c lay wedged across the bottom rung of two ladders as they began their retreat back into the ceiling. He reached his arms downward towards Sam as Jack hoisted her off the ground. She gripped her friends hands and pulled herself up the ladder desperate to free Teal'c's arms so he could help Jack.

Reaching the first level of pipes, she joined Daniel and Roan, watching as Jack swung precariously in Teal'c's grip, the jolting of the rising ladders made it difficult for him to hold on. The group sat for a moment on one of the pipes getting their breath back. Roan eventually lead them to four empty pipes in the far corner of the hall where they were able to lay down, before leaving to find his own. There was a thin foam mattress across the bottom of each "bunk" and Teal'c and Jack's feet hung out of the end of their pipes.

Daniel worried about where to put his glasses and eventually reached up to lay them on top of his pipe. Teal'c simply lay flat on his back with his hands clasped across his chest and his legs sticking significantly out of the end. Jack rolled backwards and forwards a bit trying and failing to get comfortable, the end of the pipe digging into his calves. Once all were as settled as they could be Jack whispered loud enough for Sam to hear him in the pipe opposite "Psst! Carter, what happened to you before you showed up?" Receiving

no reply he rolled over so he could see into her pipe, where she lay with her head on her arms. "Carter?" He stretched across to her pipe, gently tapping her on the head. The three men had to stifle their laughter as she muttered something and rolled onto her back, completely zonked out.

**AN I quite like this chapter, tell me what you think. **

**Bad news I'm afraid I'm going away for a month to a place a LONG way from a computer (and any other home comforts : ( ) so I wont be able to update for at least a month but I'm home quite a lot after that with little to do AND... I may well come back with one or two chapters already written which just need typing up. To sum up: no updates for at least a month, then possibly updating quite quickly, but no promises.**

**Give me some feedback please – cause it makes me feel loved **

**AN2 YAY! All my exams are finished. I'm totally a college kid now! Congratulations to anyone else who has just finished exam season!**


	7. Musings

**AN Hi guys. I struggled to figure out how to get into this chapter so I've kinda been putting it off. Sorry. Anyway it's been nagging in the back of my mind for a bit I figured I'd see how it turned out. Hope it works. Anyway on with the story...**

**Again I must admit that the ideas for the institute belong to Eoin Colfer and Viking books and MGM owns anything to do with Stargate. **

Chapter 7 - Musings

Three weeks later...

Jack woke early in the morning, before the alarms. He rolled over; looking out of the end of his pipe so he could see all members of his team. He felt the guilt settle into his stomach as he usually did. Despite the fact that Teal'c could easily break a man in half and Carter was a force to be reckoned with when she chose to be and Daniel...well anyway, he always felt that it was his job to keep them from harm. Now watching the three sleeping, he felt the failure weighing on him.

They had been in the institute three weeks and it was starting to show. Daniel and Carter were both pale. Carter had lost weight and recently he hadn't been able to look her in the eye. She always looked at him with such trust and it broke his heart because he still couldn't see a way to get them out of here, so he simply avoided looking.

They had scouted the hall and watched the corridors as they were marshaled from place to place. Everywhere seemed to be airtight. Escaping at night was a no go thanks to the electric tiles covering the walls and floors. They were watched in the bathrooms, guards placed outside the steel shower stalls. Jack was sure his skin must be blue from the water by now. Carter reported the womens bathrooms to be no better.

He stretched, letting out a groan as the skin on his arms complained at the movement. Looking at his skin in the light outside his tube, he grimaced. Both his arms were red raw in various patches. Yesterday they had been testing deodorants. His skin had been burnt dry by one particularly nasty brand sprayed onto one part of his arm and sectioned off with black tape. His knee was giving him hell from the ten kilometers he had run on the treadmill.

Daniel was not trained for prolonged exercise – on the walk from the labs back to the sleeping hall, Teal'c and Jack had held most of the exhausted man's weight. The marshals didn't care as long as nobody spoke and nobody collapsed. Jack couldn't help but feel nervous that this had happened more and more recently. Now he could hear Daniel's snores from the pipe beside his.

Looking across the gap he could see the top of Teal'c head and Carters adorable bed head. He couldn't help grinning. He loved when her hair grew too long to be within regulations. It had a habit of curling or flicking out in odd places, giving her a permanently ruffled look. His eyes moved to her sleeping face and he felt the guilt returning full tilt. She had bags under her eyes and her face was pale and tense, even in sleep. All in all, she did not look healthy and he suspected he did not look much better himself.

An air horn sounded, reverberating in the large hall. Sleepy mutterings filled the room as the inhabitants of the institute woke. It was always the most depressing part of the day, when one had to leave behind the sweet life of dreaming and return to the reality of constant pain with no hope of escape.

Across from him Teal'c spun in his tube to face Jack.

"Good morning O'Neill"

"No Teal'c it isn't a good morning." he sighed "The last 'good morning' I had was the one we left the SGC."

"Indeed."

Sam sat listening to the conversation while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. It wasn't often that Jack admitted to them about how depressed a situation offworld made him. He always insisted that there was a way out, that things could be worse. It went a long way to explaining why he often went over the top in complaining about small inconveniences.

It surprised her to hear him sound so negative right now but she couldn't blame him. He had been a lot quieter over the last few days, the cheeky, humor that she was soused to seeing in him seemed to have been extinguished by the institute. The worst part of all of it was that she was kept from comforting him as she would like to by the boundaries put between them by the air force. She wanted to soothe him; hold him and tell him that they would be OK, but it wasn't appropriate.

She wondered how he would react if she tried. She had so often come close to throwing the rule book out of the window but had pulled herself back from the edge because of the uncertainty of how he felt about her. One of the few things she was sure of in her life was the fact that she loved him. She had tried and failed to put her finger on the point when it happened but she knew that it was him that made her keep going when she was close to giving up;it was him that convinced her things would be OK when it seemed that they couldn't be worse and it was him that meant she could never love anybody else. She hated that. She was trapped in stalemate: unable to give herself to anybody else until she knew how he felt about her and unable to find out because of those pesky regulations.

Realizing she was straying down a forbidden train of thought she blinked several times and looked over the edge of her pipe, watching the floor to see when the charge was turned off. Moments later, the blue sparks between the tiles disappeared and the door at the far end of the hall clanked loudly as the bolts were retracted. A marshal appeared, dropping a large plastic bag on the floor by the door. He left locking the door behind him and another air horn sounded as the ladders began descending.

**AN I know that not much happens in this chapter...at all, but I will post again soon and this bit went on for longer than I thought and I wanted to get something posted for you. Feel free to give me a kick in the pants about updates, it'll make me write faster :D**


	8. Slim to None

**AN Thanks for all reviews. I got at least one reviewer who was excited by this mysterious plastic bag so to avoid too much disappointment, I'm telling you now it's nothing interesting. Anyway, things finally start to happen in this chapter so off we go.**

**Chapter 8 – Slim to None**

Jack gave Teal'c a quick nod, but the big man was already off, moving swiftly down the descending ladders toward the now safe floor of the hall. Jack watched Teal'c reach the ground before any of the other occupants of the room and was once again struck by how lucky they were to have him on their team. In anything Jack needed, Teal'c was reliable. He had the strength and determination to do whatever was necessary, without question and Jack could concentrate on other things knowing that Teal'c was on the case.

Upon reaching the floor, Teal'c snatched up the plastic sack and opening it, removed a handful of tough plastic packets, which he zipped inside his jumpsuit before starting up the ladders again. Jack reached out of his pipe to pat Daniel on the shoulder.

"Yo, Danny boy, breakfast's up!" His only reply was a muffled groan as Daniel shifted slightly. He looked up at Sam, whose concern was written clearly on her face.

"Daniel?" Daniel groaned and rolled over. He was pale. Sam quickly glanced at Jack and hauled herself out of her pipe, clambering with practiced grace over the top of Daniel's to crawl in alongside him. It was a tight squeeze but they had fit all four of them in one pipe before now; but that had been sitting with their backs against the sides as they discussed their situation late into the night and always came up with a sore neck and nothing that could help them get out of here.

Now, with Daniel laying sprawled across the foam mat, and his glasses to avoid, there was barely room for her. She checked his pulse and laid her hand against his forehead. A scalding heat met her skin.

"Sir, he's burning up." The colonel didn't get a chance to reply before Teal'c arrived and noticed Daniel's unusual colour and the anxiety obvious from the two officers. Sam tried again. "Daniel!" She shook his shoulders firmly. "Daniel, can you hear me?" By now, the usual breakfast chatter had lessened somewhat and people were beginning to creep across the pipes to get a closer look at the spectacle. Jack noticed this and it put him immediately on edge.

"Carter." When she looked up, he nodded his head toward the pipes outside their little square and she got the message, as did Teal'c, moving to block as much of Daniel's pipe from the onlookers as possible. Sam pulled back Daniel's sleeves, to reveal raw swollen arms. Jack felt sick, like he'd been kicked in the gut. His face hardened in anger. This was his fault, he should have got them out of here by now. Sam was bending low over Daniel, her hands on his face, repeating his name in low tones. After a few more tense moments, Daniel's eyelids fluttered. He drew a sudden breath, which gave rise to a coughing fit. Sam, turned him onto his side, rubbing his back until he got his breath back. Solemnly, Teal'c pealed the top from one of the food packs and passed her the water container from inside it.

After having some of the liquid tipped down his throat, Daniel improved. His eyes were partly open but he did not speak.

"He hasn't had his medication since we left Earth. Considering the number of products we've tested over the last three weeks, it's amazing his allergies haven't caused him problems until now."

"Acute rhinitis." Teal'c and Carter both looked sharply up at Jack. He shrugged "Fraiser called allergies that, one time."

"It is and it's made him very weak, very quickly."

Teal'c decided it would fall to him to be the voice of doom. "If Daniel Jackson is not well enough to work, he will be killed." The Marshals were not paid to be sympathetic. Testers who didn't work were quickly persuaded otherwise and testers who couldn't work were shot.

Jack needed to punch something, preferably the long haired weasel responsible for this.

"Yeah well, that's not gonna happen."

"Indeed."

Sam looked nervously between the two men.

"What can we do?"

Jack gazed back at her, without answering her question for a minute. He missed her. A lot. Since she had reappeared the night they had arrived, they had said little to each other that was not strictly necessary. He felt like they were simply colleagues and no longer friends. He wondered if it had anything to do with what had happened to her while she was missing, she hadn't said anything to him or, as far as he knew to Daniel or Teal'c. He cringed at the thought of what could have happened to her, but he was sure that it hadn't been anything too horrific or he would be able to tell...wouldn't he?

Still, it wasn't as though he had gone out of his way to make conversation with her. He had been so terrified from the moment he realised she wasn't with him, until she was safe asleep in her pipe and the strength of feeling had scared him. That coupled with the guilt he felt every time her caught sight of her pale thin face had given him good reason to avoid her. It was dangerous for him to be so...emotional. He knew it was wrong but it had become startling more obvious with each time he nearly lost her, that the idea of living without Sam Carter made him want to eat a bullet and it was the tough times like this, when usually they were closer than ever that made him remember why she was such a great addition to the team. She calmed him; kept him grounded and her gentle friendship kept the small parts of his heart that had been left after Charlie, alive. Why was this time different? Why were they not comfortable with each other? He wasn't sure but guessed that it was because usually, they had some kind of idea of how to get out of whatever life threw at them. This time, he had nothing. He'd had three weeks and still: zip, nada, squat - and Daniel was dying. He sighed, looking past Sam to Daniel as he answered.

"We'll get him as awake as we can. We don't have time to do anything drastic now, the marshals will be here in minutes. Just keep him on the inside of the group- out of sight as possible. He may improve by tomorrow. If not we'll have to come up with something else. Keep an eye out for any opening. Anything we could have missed up till now. " He paused and knew that Sam and Teal'c were thinking the exact same thing. _ If there was any way out of here they'd have found it by now and the chances of Daniel improving looked slim to none._

Jack grabbed a meal pack and threw one to Carter. He peeled back the lid and shoved the 'food' into his mouth. He chewed hard on the flat cracker that tasted like cardboard and watched Sam playing with her food. _Goddammit she needs all the food she can get!_

"Eat it Carter!" Teal'c and Sam both stared at their commanding officer as though he had grown a second head and jack almost kicked himself for how harshly the reprimand had come out but what was she thinking? Dicking around with her food when they had less than a minute to eat one of the two pitiful meals they received a day.

Sam bowed her head muttering a hurried "Yessir." and started chewing on the edge of the cracker, going back to her previous thoughts. _"When you are tired and ill, you need only tell the marshals that you have changed you mind, and perhaps I will consider extending my generosity again." _Hyden's words echoed in her head and she hated him even more. At the time she had known that no matter how tired or ill she got, she would never go crawling back to him but now it was Daniel...

Trying to hide the hurt her CO's hard attitude had caused her and the fear she felt for Daniel, she reached over and took hold of her sick friend's hand while forcing the last of the food down her dry throat.

Moments later another horn sounded and Teal'c hurriedly took the water the colonel thrust at him and poured the cold liquid over the archeologist's face. Daniel spluttered and managed a small sound of annoyance.

"That's my boy." Jack helped Teal'c maneuver Daniel out of the pipe and onto the ladders. Still blinking water out of his eyes, Daniel woke up enough to hold onto the rungs. Jack eased him down, with Teal'c below to catch his feet when they slipped from the rungs and eventually they had him standing propped between the two other men as Sam stood behind, with a supporting hand on his back. The other testers ignored them as they arranged themselves into lines, falling into silence when the door opened and marshals entered to shepherd the population of the institute out for another day of hard work and pain, with a semi-conscious Daniel in the middle of them.

**AN So, things start to go...well, even more wrong than they already have. Not a happy chapter. Loving the reviews! I want to update soon, cause it's getting tense, but no promises. Reviews make me write faster so tell me what you think. Please - prometheus**


	9. Rookie Bravado

**Chapter 9 – Rookie Bravado**

To Daniel's credit, he managed to pretty much hold it together as far as the walk through the corridors went. He looked sleepy but was mostly walking without assistance. Every now and then, he would slow down and Sam would gently push him onward from behind, trying to hide the need to do so from the marshals.

Jack and Teal'c had their eyes well and truly peeled for any kind of gap in the guards vigilance or opportunity for escape, even if just into an empty room, where they could wait until the coast was clear.

The marshals lead them along familiar corridors. There were a great number of testing rooms, depending on the product. Jack made sure that he knew the way back to the residence hall inside out. If they needed to sneak Daniel out, and couldn't find an empty room along the way that would be their port of harbor.

The group arrived at the double doors to the largest testing labs. Marshals flanked the doors as the testers were ushered inside. The room was spacious and unlike the last time they had seen it, the long walls down the side had been been padded out, with large crash mats fastened against it, up to head height and along the edge of the floor.

"In pairs!" The marshal began bellowing orders. "Each pair by a pair of crash mats!" Jack ushered his team to some crash mats as far from the marshals as possible. He had his arm around Daniel's waist, trying to help him while being as subtle as possible. This was not helped by the stares and whispers of the other testers, following them as they passed. Jack gritted his teeth and glared at them. No other tester would ever bring Daniel's condition to the attention of the guards but their blatant curiosity was not helping.

Daniel flopped onto the nearest mat, once Jack let him go. His aching brain retaining enough sense to remain sitting up, despite the stabbing pain in his chest begging him to lay flat. He needed more water.

Sam quickly moved closer to Teal'c as the marshals passed, checking pairs. The guard gave save a lingering look. All the marshals had heard the stories of what had passed between Sam and Hyden and she attracted more than a few unpleasant glances and comments ranging from derogatory to lewd. She never paid them much attention. Being constantly surrounded by three men who she knew would fight to the death for her meant that she never felt threatened and her confidence was hardly low enough to be affected by passing comments from men who worked as little more than armed gorillas. Nevertheless, she was glad when, as the guard looked her slowly up and down, Teal'c stepped in front of her, shielding her from the marshal's view and with a gaze that had made gods shake in their shoes, persuaded the man to back off.

Jack watched the silent exchange and felt the knife of guilt twist in his gut. He had seen the way some of the marshal's looked at his major, and he didn't like it. More than that, it made him hate himself more very time. _Why the hell did he just let them walk into that van. _ He just wanted to protect his team, protect her. And right now, because of the mess he had gotten them into, he couldn't even be the one to do that.

He was glad of Tealc's actions to deter the man but wished it were him. Watching the marshal eyeing Sam's long legs had set a fire inside him. The urge to beat the man senseless and claim her as his own was clawing at him but the fight went out of him when he saw his tough; unbreakable; take-no-shit; reproductive-organs-on-the-inside 2IC cower behind their bulky colleague. There was nothing in her eyes but defeat. _When had her spark been extinguished?_

Jack swallowed the lump in his throat as he watched her, then turned to Daniel. Catching Tealc's eye, he saw the knowledge in the jaffa's face too. His team was falling apart. His 2IC had been reduced to a frightened, vulnerable woman he had never seen before, and Daniel was sitting wheezing on the mat behind him, barely conscious. Jack saw the same thing reflected in his young friends face before Daniel looked away again. Defeat. Both of them had resigned themselves to this place.

_Well, that's gonna change._ Jack pushed his self deprecation aside. It was not helping their situation and he was furious with himself for allowing t to continue so long. He had to focus on his team. Teal'c was a rock and Jack knew he could count on him to get the other two back. There was no way in hell he was going to let Daniel die here, and there was no way he was going to let Carter give up. They were both too good for that.

A second marshal was walking around the room, distributing—_Were they serious?- _weapons. A further marshal followed behind, passing, what looked to Jack, like bullet proof vests to one member of each pair.

"Each pair has a weapon and a vest. One of you stand 2 paces from the wall and brace yourself." The marshal allowed himself a nasty sneer. "The rest of you, take aim at your partners and hope the clever scientists made the vests resistant enough." He paused and looked directly at Jack. "And in case any of you get any dangerous ideas. The weapons you have been provided are remote primed and can be shut off remotely They will not fire shit until me and my boys are safely in the viewing gallery. After that, you can have at each other...Ramin?" A younger marshal stepped forward. Clearly a trainee, given all the grunt jobs but by the look on his face as he addressed the testers, you'd think he'd recently been made king of the galaxy.

"Ok, you bunch of worthless shits..." Jack rolled his eyes- _rookie bravado- for cryin' out loud! "_Take five shots at the first vest and then fetch a new one from the rack on this wall " He waved an arm to a back wall covered in hooks. "Each vest has a number on the right shoulder indicating which prototype you'll be testing. Once you've tested each one, there are 40 altogether, stand to one side and keep your mouths shut."

**AN I had wanted to go a lot further with this chapter but it was taking a lot longer to figure out the second part than i expected and school work got on top of me. So eventually I gave up on trying to do the long chapter I had hoped for and I'm posting this to keep you going. Anyway I hope to get the next part up soon, the tension mounts so I won't keep you waiting too long.**

**R and R please :D**

**prometheus246**


	10. My Dead and Rotting Corpse

**AN Told you I wouldn't make you wait long. Anyway, I hope I get all the tension and excitement across in this chapter but I won't if I don't get on with it so...**

Chapter 10 – My Dead and Rotting Corpse

Unfortunately for Daniel, he didn't have anything like the coordination required to fire the weapons, the marshals had provided. Jack helped him to pull the vest over his head as gently as he could. Jostling the man would not help, however, he needed to keep the extent of his friend's condition hidden from the wardens. He propped Daniel against the padded wall, making sure he could stand before releasing his grip on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Daniel." Jack looked his long-time friend in the eye. This man had pulled him back from the brink of suicide and out of one hell of a depression and now here Jack was shooting him. Ironic, that shooting him was Daniel's best chance at staying alive.

Jack stepped back, took careful aim, cursed Hyden again and pressed the button beneath his thumb. The energy wave hit Daniel squarely in the chest and the man was knocked off his feet; hitting the wall and slumping down onto the crash mat, utterly still and silent.

Jack stayed perfectly still for a second, his heart in his mouth. He saw Sam and Teal'c in the periphery of his vision, both as immobilised as he was. Identical patterns of fear on their faces. Daniel coughed and all three relaxed again, the relief passing between them, like a drum beat, it was so resounding.

Rushing to his side Jack couldn't help the crack in his voice as he spoke to the dazed man. "Goddammit Danny - cough straight away next time will ya! I don't think our nerves will take much more if you keep us in suspense like that." There was a flicker of amusement in his friend's face, which was a relief for the rest of the team to see, until he broke into coughing again.

"Sorry Jack, I'll try to remember that." Jack pulled the man to his feet, deliberately keeping a light mood, while Daniel shook slightly. Daniel tried to hide his unstable state. He understood Jack's dilemma: wanting to help Daniel as much as possible but trying to minimise his illness.

Daniel stood almost straight but a shooting pain across his ribs caused him to reflexively stoop a couple of inches to relieve the tension. Each breath stabbed as he shuffled back toward the wall, with Jack's help. He tried to keep his breathing deep, slow and even, though his lips were barely parted. As he moved the few steps he worked to find the balance between standing as straight as he could and staying hunched enough to relieve some of the pain. His throat felt like he'd been gargling with tacks. _What he wouldn't give for a cup of black coffee. _

Leaning heavily against the wall again, Daniel's vision started to spin like coloured water in a bottle and he locked his knees against the delicious pull a gravity coaxing him toward the mat beneath him. Sam watched as Daniel tried to give jack a reassuring smile, succeeding only in grimacing at a spot a foot to the left of his face and felt her heart clench.

Jack didn't want to leave Daniel having to stand for too long but took the time to hurl his darkest, cruelest thoughts at the slimy bastard who put them in here, before pressing the button again.

SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1

Four hours later, Jack set down his weapon, a hot knife of guilt twisting his insides. He'd rather shoot himself. Unfortunately that wasn't an option. He caught Sam's movement from the corner of his eye as she made to put down her own weapon without having taken her last shot at the waiting Teal'c. Her horrified face was fixed on Daniel's still; slightly wheezing form.

"Carter!" Her head snapped in his direction."Leave him. Please." He saw her nod and she turned her focus back to Teal'c before any of the marshals watching from the viewing gallery behind noticed her distraction. It was not difficult to hit the big man's broad, vest covered chest and as she took aim her mind wandered.

All this time, the colonel had not been able to find a way out of here and all this time she had had one. _Hyden. _She had never brought up what had happened before she arrived in the institute, other than to tell them that she had no more information than they had received and beyond that, none her three friends had questioned her.

She had been convinced, that she would never take Hyden up on his offer but now it seemed that she had no other choice. If only to see if, in a position of some power and freedom, she could help Daniel. _ She couldn't believe how selfish she had been. All this time, her CO had struggled for a solution and she had never mentioned to him the escape that had been offered to her at the start of this ordeal. At the time she had known that that was they way SG-1 worked; they stuck together. It was all or none. But now with Daniel in the state he was in they had to explore other options. _

With the resolution in her mind to speak with Colonel O'Neill, regarding Hyden's offer, as soon as they were in a relatively secure location she focused her attention on Teal'cs massive form, avoiding looking him in the eye and pressed the button.

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Once the Door was slammed shut on the hall full of testers, Jack and Teal'c loosened their grip on Daniel, allowing him to sink to the floor and lean on the wall. Sam knelt down and pushed his hair aside, checking his forehead, her face in anguish as she heard the faint panting breaths; felt the sweat on his brow and saw her beloved friend's face contorted in pain and shining with perspiration.

"How is he?" Jack's voice was quiet in her ear, though she didn't see the point in continuing to hide Daniel's illness from the other tester's. They had given little indication that they cared and surely if one of them were to give them away, they would have done so already. "Teal'c thinks the marshal's are listening. They probably know some thing's up." Sam nodded. She had long ago stopped trying to work out how Jack could know what she was thinking even as she was thinking it.

"He's bad. And he's only going to get worse. I'm scared for him." The admission surprised Jack, but he was grateful for her openness. He laid a hand on her shoulder, relieved to feel her relax ever so slightly and take a deep breath.

"We're getting out of here ASAP. As soon as we figure out a way. One thing's for sure though, we aren't going through another day of testing. " A loud grating sound announced the descent of the ladders."C'mon, we gotta get him up." Teal'c arrived beside them and lifted the now unconscious Daniel over his shoulder. " T? You sure you can climb like that?"

Teal'c nodded silently. When the ladders arrived, Sam went ahead so that she could drag Daniel into a pipe at the top, allowing Teal'c full use of his arms to maneuver himself into the next one. Jack brought up the rear and hauled himself groaning into his own. There was a cracker and water waiting for him. Taking a tiny sip from the water he passed the rest to Carter who was shuffling around in Daniel's pipe trying to get the man comfortable. She poured some onto her hand and used it to cool his face before accepting the majority of Teal'cs bottle when he passed it across to her. She proceeded to coax Daniel into drinking as much as he could before spluttering a lot more over himself and Sam when he coughed.

Finally kissing his cheek and leaving him to sleep. Sam climbed into her own pipe and shoved the cracker down her throat, absently watching the crackle of blue sparks between the wall tiles. Jack was glad to see her eating properly but realised that it was probably due to his shouting at her that morning.

Once Jack had finished eating, Teal'c had already laid down and was silent, not that that was unusual, and Daniel's pitiful breathing had evened out enough that Jack could only assume he was sleeping. He was about to lay down himself when her caught sight of a pair of familiar blue eyes regarding him seriously. He sighed. " OK Carter, out with it."

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"Over my dead and rotting corpse Carter!" Jack struggled to keep his voice down as the shock at what she had told him and what she was suggesting hit him. _ Turn herself over! Was she crazy!? How the hell was he supposed to do anything rational or helpful if he knew that she was at the mercy of that long haired hack rag!?_

"Sir--"

"No Carter!"

"But... Daniel--" She begged him with her eyes. She could not sit around and do nothing when she knew that she was the _one_ person who did have a choice about being here.

Jack's resolve was shaken by the look of desperation in her eyes but he stood firm in his position "Not gonna happen Carter. We are all getting outa here or we are all gonna die trying." Sam couldn't help the pointed, half-amused look at his use of a classic cliché. "Ah!" He cut off her comment with a sarcastic expression and a raised finger and she felt reassured by the old banter. But how was she supposed to back away from her chance and allow Daniel to die? She couldn't do it.

"Sir, maybe I can persuade Hyden around to an agreement..."

"Yeah, or maybe he'll just be happy to leave the rest of us in here to rot while he has his wicked way with you--" He stopped at her hurt expression. " I'm sorry Carter, I--" He rubbed his face tiredly. Just the thought of letting Sam go to this guy, crushed him. "That was crass I, I just meant to say that he's unpredictable and powerful and once he's got you there's no reason for him to let us out or help Danny and very little chance that you could escape. I can't let you put yourself in danger like that. Daniel wouldn't want you to if he had his say. "

He stopped and looked her in the eye across the small distance between them as they sat in his pipe. He could tell that she felt useless. She wanted to do something--anything to help. He knew the feeling quite well himself. Deciding that in the interests of morale he could push the invisible boundaries just a tad; he reached over and took hold of her hand. "This is the way we have to do it Carter. We stick together and I promise you we will get out of here. Soon. I'm working on it. I just need you to rest now and be ready when the time comes." He cringed at his ever increasing use of the dreaded cliches.

Sam nodded mutely, staring at his warm hand in hers, unable to meet his eyes before she broke the contact and moved lithely back to her own pipe keeping her gaze away from his face as she settled down for the night.

"Goodnight Sir."

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Jack woke to a frightening sight. It was almost silent in the hall, well before the alarms were due to go off, but Teal'c was laying on the roof of Jack's pipe, staring at him closely. The jaffa's face was way too close for comfort.

"Aaggh! Teal'c!" Jack hissed, sitting up and moving away form Teal'c who, on closer inspection looked distinctly worried. That was not good. "T, what's goin on?"

Teal'c took a moment to compose himself before answering. Definitely not good.

"O'Neill, Major Carter is gone."

**AN. COOL! Quite chuffed with how well (and how long!) this chapter turned out. My back aches and i've lost circulation in my right foot but it was worth it. I liked the Sam/Jack element in this even though i hadn't intended to have much if any in but the plot asked for it soo... Anyway, reviews LOVED. I know it's a cliffhanger but I won't update again until i've updated _University_. Til then, adieu!**

**AN2. Any Brits who watch Torchwood on BBC3 and love it like i do, I would love to see some fics around for it if the mood takes you...?**

prometheus246


	11. A Broken, Vulnerable Woman

**AN. OK, so Sam's gone to do what she can to help our Danny-boy. Hope it's exciting...**

Picks up from before Teal'c woke Jack at the end of chapter 10.

Chapter 11 – A Broken, Vulnerable Woman.

Sam sat up silently in her pipe. The was no sound in the hall other than muffled snoring from the occupants of the various pipes around her. She slid out of the foot-end of the pipe, bracing her feet on the ladder below her and began moving across the row. The next pipe along was Daniel's. She could hear his breathing was still shallow and labored and it strengthened her determination to do what she had to to help him.

After five minutes, she had traversed the length of the hall on the tops of pipes and the spindly ladders. Several times she had been convinced that she had woken one of the other testers, but nobody made any indication that they had seen her. Reaching the last column of pipes, which were a mere half foot away from the front wall of the hall, she reached out and pressed the emergency button, sending an electrical signal through the walls of the institute until it reached the head marshal's office.

Marshal Reddall had been sat, half asleep in his chair with his feet on the desk and a line of drool slowly working it's way down his stubbly chin, when the light above his computer station lit and the speaker began squawking an alarm. Sitting up, he wiped a hand across his mouth before peering at the surveillance monitors. It was incredibly rare that the emergency button was pushed, because of the punishment dealt out to any tester who wasted his time. He made an example every few years to make sure it didn't happen, he needed his sleep after all.

The camera pointed at the button mounted on the wall in the residence hall showed a row of dark, still figures in pipes, but hanging onto one of the wires nearest to the camera was the female member of the military team who had arrived a few weeks ago. His lip curled. The governor had given specific instructions that any event concerning this woman should be reported to him immediately.

The whole team was under particular scrutiny from the guards, though they didn't know it. Their military training made them a flight risk and a dangerous one at that. Several times, Reddall had been forced to discipline some of his men for their lewd attitudes toward the attractive female of the group. She was not to be touched, Hyden's orders. There were very few women in the institute as it was, but this one stood out more than most, blond hair and blue eyes. A stunning combination never seen by the locals.

Reddall opened the door of his office and delivered a swift kick the the guard slumped asleep on the floor outside.

"Get up, emergency call from the residence hall."

"What is it boss?"

"It's the woman, we'd better hop to it and see what her majesty wants."

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Having reached the hall and found out that 'her majesty' wanted to see the boss, Reddall put the call through and was told snappily by the governor to bring her to him as quickly as possible. The power to the floor was shut of temporarily in order to get Sam down. All this was done as quickly and quietly as possible. The last thing Reddall wanted was the other testers being aware of her departure too soon.

Sam was lead through the corridors of the institute with a guard on either side of her. She paid more attention to the direction they were taking than she had on her previous trip through these halls, when she had been seething with anger and wincing at the fresh pain from the cut on her cheek where Hyden had hit her. She tried desperately to memorise the route and to take notice of any rooms along the way which may contain weapons or food.

When she was eventually brought before Hyden's door at the top of the flight of steps, she took a deep breath and tried to arrange her face into one of a broken, vulnerable woman, who was in need of the governors 'generosity' as he'd called it. She thought about Daniel and sent a silent prayer to whoever might listen that he was OK, as the guard on her left knocked and footsteps could be heard on the other side of the door.

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Sam's day had not been a pleasant one. She had spent the first half hour in Hyden's quarters after the marshals had left her, groveling and begging forgiveness from him. She had never been a good liar, despite the times during her service when it had been necessary, and she was secretly amazed that her trembling lip and apparent humility had convinced the governor.

Since then, she had mostly been left alone while Hyden saw to 'state business' and when he was there he was sickeningly sweet and affectionate. Sam had to fight the urge to shudder each time he reached out to touch her hair. If she was going to be here long enough to be able to help Daniel she had to play to his attention for another few hours.

She was kneeling on the long couch by the door, studying the locking mechanism. She thought she could figure out a way to unlock it from this side, without Hyden's command code and to lock it again from the other side. Although this particular measure would only buy her a few precious seconds, it would be worth it.

She had spent the afternoon, since Hyden had left her after lunch, investigating his computer. It seemed that in fact, the only technology these people possessed, that was _really_ superior was the transport device. This lead her to think that maybe they had not engineered it themselves and that perhaps they were not the first or only inhabitants of this planet.

She abruptly froze when the sound of somebody climbing the steps outside filtered through the door. She hurried to replace the covering over the now slightly modified door lock. Once it was in place, she proceeded to bend her arms around her back in acrobatic ways, in order to tuck the long piece of tough metal she had pulled from the window lining to use as a screwdriver, into the bra strap across her back. Moving quickly across the room, she sat on the small stool and pretended to be impressed by the view of the city, from the window.

She closed her eyes for a second in order to regroup as she listened to Hyden cross the room towards her. Shifting slightly, she felt the corner of the 'screwdriver' dig deep into the skin of her back. _Shit, that hurts. Daniel had better be grateful. _ As Hyden arrived behind her she felt her stomach involuntarily clench at the feel of his long fingers brushing her hair off her neck in a gesture that spoke of of a non-existent intimacy. _ Very grateful._

"Did you have a pleasant afternoon?" Sam took a quick breath.

"Yes, Thank you. The city is beautiful."

"It is. This is one of the best views there is. I hope you are feeling slightly recovered from your time in the institute."

"I am." She swallowed. The rest of her team were still stuck down there.

"I understand that you are worried for your friends. But they will be happy, will they not, to know that you will not have to suffer any longer."

"Yes, they will." It was difficult to keep her voice neutral around her grinding teeth. " I am grateful for what you have done for me Hyden." She turned to him, smiling. He looked down on her, brushing her cheek again with the back of his hand. She continued, "I hope in time, I can make it up to you." she whispered, with just enough suggestion for him to think he had a chance. It was obvious in his expression that he caught onto the subtext. His smile turned smug and he reached for her hand pulling her to her feet in front of him.

"I'm sure you will." Hyden leaned forward, pulling her closer to him as he did so, until their lips met. Sam wrestled past the gag reflex enough to kiss him back. She closed her eyes tightly, desperately hoping that she could open them to find it had all been a dream or to find a very different pair of dark eyes gazing at her.

After several moments, she pulled back. Hyden released her hands and moved away in the direction of the intercom to order dinner.

They ate quietly. Hyden making trifling conversation and Sam responding in single sentences. His demeanor had changed. He seemed utterly at ease, seemed to think that he had complete control over her and her situation, which scared her. As they finished desert, he explained to her that he didn't want to pressure her. Getting up, he showed her to an adjoining room with a luxurious bed and an armoire. Sam excused herself, claiming exhaustion and after enduring another swift goodnight kiss she shut the door and collapsed onto the bed.

Her face buried in the pillows, she finally allowed herself to cry silently. She missed her team and the constant sense of security they afforded her, in any circumstance. She hated being at Hyden's mercy and feeling so out of control. She was afraid of what would happen to her should her rudimentary plan fail. She was afraid that when she got back to help Daniel it would be too late. She felt more alone than ever and wished more than ever that she had someone to hold her.

Pulling herself together enough to sit up, she managed to pull off the strange native clothes Hyden had given her and pull on the familiar SGC fatigues she had been wearing to sleep in for the past weeks, which had been placed on the chair in the corner of her room. Lastly she set the alarm on her watch and curled into a tight ball beneath the thick covers on the bed. She fell asleep, convincing herself that she could feel strong, safe arms around her and feel three weeks of adorable beard growth against her cheek and smell the delicious scent that was in her mind, simply him.

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Three hours later, an annoying beeping from her wrist broke into her wonderful dreams and pulled her back to reality with a jolt. Jabbing at the button to shut the damned thing off, she pulled her aching body off of the bed and to the doorway. After listening carefully and hearing no movement from the other side, she slipped into the main living chamber of Hyden's quarters and, removing the strip of metal from beneath her clothing proceeded to 'pick' the electronic lock. Relief washed over her when, after a few minutes the door slid almost silently open.

The stairway was always unguarded but the door at the bottom was not. Gripping her only tool tightly in her hand and running over a rough 'take out the guard ' plan and the mental map of the complex in her head; Sam took another deep breath before plunging down the stairway to rescue her friends.

**AN I put a lot more humanity in Sam than I had planned to, in this chapter. I was going to have her be a hard-ass all the way through her ordeal with Hyden but that's just not who she is, I don't think. This is how it ended up and I quite like it but let me know what you think...please. Tell me what your favourite bit of the story is so far and what your favourite bit of this chapter is.**

**It's January exams now, so I won't be updating any of my stories until the 25th at least. Good luck to anyone else who's taking modules atm.**

**prometheus246**


	12. A Small and Pathetic Man?

**AN OK so i lied about not updating until the 25th, but i seriously hadn't planned to...i just got really into it. :D**

**Chapter 12 – Small and Pathetic Man?**

(Back to that morning when Teal'c woke Jack.)

"How's he doing Teal'c?"

"His breathing is labored but the night's rest has helped. Daniel Jackson remains asleep. He does not appear to be in immediate danger. I am however ill qualified to make an accurate assessment of his health."

"You haven't found anyone who has any idea about Carter?"

"I have not. None of the people I have questioned witnessed anything last night. O'Neill I do not believe Major Carter could have been taken against her will without alerting us."

Jack sighed. He knew that Teal'c was right. He had already run through the same train of thought several times. There was no way Carter would have been taken unwillingly so that just left...willingly.He thought about perfect Soldier Sam. _She wouldn't._ He thought about the determined, resourceful, selfless woman he had spoken to the previous night about Daniel. _ She might._

The unbidden voice in his head calmly telling him what he refused to think about filled him with anger. _How could she betray him like this!? How could she have so little faith in him? He promised to get them out! Now where was she? With _him The thought made him want to hit something-- the wall. The sharp pain in his knuckles calmed him somewhat.

"Jack O'Neill." Jack barely glanced. The small, bald man stood at his elbow. Since the first night he had barely interacted with any of the other testers. Carter and Daniel had had a few conversations with this guy. He seemed to have been here a while and knew the ropes but he was small, annoying and not too bright as far as Jack could tell and the little man had always seemed somewhat intimidated by Jack's often brutish nature.

"Not now, Roan. It's not a good time."

"I know what happened to Samantha." Jack looked at the man slowly. Something about the way the guy said 'Samantha' made him uneasy, but he would take what he could get.

"What?"

"I said 'I know what happened to Samantha'"

"Yes Roan, I know what you said. What happened to her?"

"She called for the marshals in the night. They took her. They were obviously eager to keep quiet. It's strange. It's very rare that people can get away with pushing the alarm. Usually they are punished." By now, Teal'c too was listening closely to Roan's conversation with Jack.

"You saw this?"

"Yes, I was awake. She climbed over my pipe."

"They didn't punish her at all?"

"No Jack. She asked to see the governor and they took her."

"Shit."

" O'Neill?"

"Uh, Carter told me last night. She had a get out of jail free card. Seems the governor has a bit of a thing for our major but she rejected him. Rejected him good. She wanted to go and try and get the guy to help Daniel."

Once again, Jack was unable to hide his pride at recalling Sam's story about turning Hyden down. It almost made up for the fact that the bastard had hit her. Remembering this, Jack blood boiled again and he renewed his promise to deal with the asshole when they got out of the institute.

Teal'c also looked impressed.

"I see."

Roan was once again tugging at Jack's sleeve.

"I can help you find Samantha."

"Yeah I know. You've told us."

"No Jack. You don't understand - I can hide you and your sick friend. I know of a room. It is easy to sneak into and not be discovered by the marshals."

"A room we can hide in?" Roan nodded. "All day?" Nod. "It's easy to get into?" Nod. "You're sure?"

"I am. I have hidden there before. Long ago. The guards will soon know you are missing but they will not find you."

"Why?"

"It is believed the room is locked. It has not been opened for years. Many years." Roan was smiling up at Jack, obviously pleased with himself.

Jack stared at the little man amazed. Roan was quickly climbing Jack's list of people he liked. He took the little guy by the arm, leading him slightly further away from the crowd of people pushing around the bag of ready-meals that had been dumped by the warden minutes earlier.

"How do we get into it, Roan?"

"We must leave now, quickly. Before the marshals arrive to take us for testing."

Teal'c looked down at Roan.

"This room is locked until the marshals arrive. We cannot leave it until then"

"We can." Roan pointed upward. Grinning happily at the vast ceiling.

Jack turned to Teal'c.

"Carter checked the ceiling didn't she?"

"Major Carter found the ceiling of this room impenetrable."

"She did not have the right tools." Jack was getting more and more amazed by this man's apparently unending knowledge of the place and more and more annoyed that the little weasel hadn't felt like sharing until now.

"And you do...have the right tools?" Jack asked, gesturing for the man to continue.

"I do. A year ago, we tested liquids capable of melting metal bolts. I stole a vial. The marshals here are not very intelligent. They rule by fear alone. Many of the testers are only in here because they are not intelligent to make an honest living." Jack gaped at the man. The quiet, apparently dense man that had obviously kept his head down in here for years. Something still nagged at him though.

"Roan. If you had this liquid for a year, why haven't you used it yet? Escaped?"

"I cannot escape and live in the city. The police would soon find me and I would be sent back. There is no life for me out there. I have to find another place to live but the city is surrounded by mountains. I would never survive the harsh conditions. I do not have the skills. " He looked down at his feet. "You four arrived and I thought that maybe could help me. I heard rumors-- you came through the portas celesti. The big ring." He made donut signals with his hands. "You came from another world. And you could take me there."

Jack could have sworn for a second that Teal'c was gaping but when he looked properly, the big guy had gotten control of his expression _ Damn!_ But Jack's mind was made up.

"It's a deal Roan. You help us out of this place.." He gestured around at the walls of the hall. "..and we'll get you out of...this ...place. Now then, Teal'c—we need food."

Teal'c, they had found out, a while after he had started living on earth, was very good at beating queues, simply because he didn't believe in them. Now he moved into the throng; hauling testers aside by various limbs and depositing them at arms length. Reaching into the bag, he scooped up an armful of ready-meals and returned to where Jack and Roan stood.

"Ok kids, lets get Danny and get outa here!" The three men set off up the network of ladders for the last time, all trying not to think about everything that could go wrong or what fate might have in store for both Sam and Daniel.

**AN I hope to update within the next few days. But I also want to write some other stuff. **

**Hope you like this chapter. Feedback is LOVED. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. You guys rule.**


	13. Questioning Motivations

**AN Like I said, I'm into this story atm and the last chapter didn't have much substance to it. Lots of dialogue. Anyway, here's the next.**

**Chapter 13 - **

It seemed to Jack that they had been crawling through service pipes between the floors of the institute for hours. His pesky watch however, told him it had been only ten minutes.

Daniel slumped unconscious over Teal'c's back as they crawled. He had woken briefly when they had taken him from his pipe and Jack was glad to hear him complain about being woken. Much more his usual self.

Roan lead the way, pausing now and then at intersections. Jack felt like a character from Startrek, constantly resorting to crawling through tunnels to solve any problem. Several long minutes of crawling later, Jack was sure Roan was lost. Perhaps it had been premature to place his trust in the man but if he could help them get out then...

He turned his head to mutter to Teal'c as their guide considered another choice of two directions.

"Teal'c, have we been in this bit before."

"I do not believe so." Roan glanced back at them before heading of down the left hand pipe.

"There! See? I'm sure I've seen that grey square panel before! Or at least...one that looked very similar... it had...edges -- just like this one." He was interrupted by a knocking sound that echoed in the confined space and made made him jump, smacking his head on the grey square panel above his head. Rubbing his bruised scalp he turned accusing eyes on Roan who was looking just a bit sheepish.

" Sorry—this is it."

"You're sure?"

"Yes Jack."

" Ok well--" He waved at the bolts. " -melt it already."

" No need, they are still undone from the last time I was here."

"Wait a minute—I thought you said you hadn't used the stuff before now."

" I haven't—last time I stole a bolt-cutting tool."

" You've escaped from here before?"

" O'Neill!" Looking back, Jack saw Teal'c's somewhat pained face, dripping with sweat. The archeologist's dead weight was no small burden and their combined body heat could not have been helping the big jaffa.

Roan hurriedly pushed the broken bolts loose and dropped through with surprising agility. Jack followed and turned quickly to take hold of Daniel as Teal'c lowered him. He settled the man down on a heap of foam squares, testing his temperature—too high-- and trying to coax a little of the water from one of the ready-meals down his throat.

Teal'c dropped from the hole in the ceiling taking the water Roan offered him but only drinking a little. Jack noticed that their new friend seemed much less afraid of SG1's resident bodyguard than when they had first met.

"What is our plan O'Neill?"

Jack considered for a moment

" Roan, You said that the marshals think this place is locked up. It hasn't been opened for years?" He waved vaguely around the store cupboard they sat in.

" It hasn't and it is in an area of the institute which is not often used. Only for storage."

" Right then, We stay here till nightfall, then we try and find Carter. If Danny's a bit better, we'll take him, if not, one of us can stay here and the others can bring Carter back here."

Teal'c was uncomfortable with Jack's apparent ease with the situation. It was unlike him to decide on a plan with such gaping holes in it. They had no idea where the major was, whether they could get to her or how they would then get out of the institute without getting the attention of the many armed guards.

"O'Neill--"

"We'll figure it out T. We have to. It's this or...well--"

He didn't mention the alternative since it wasn't much of one anyway and Teal'c, realising the truth of this fell silent.

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"Fifty four bottles of beer on the wall. Fifty four bottles of beer - take one down; pass it around---"

"What's beer?" Jack stopped bouncing the chunk of rubber hose up and down on the two by four he had found and turned to Roan. Instead of answering, he did his best Homer Simpson impression.

"Mmmm...beer..." Roan edged away from Jack slightly, where the man sat on the heap of foam beside Daniel. Teal'c watched Roan's disturbed look and Jack's apparent fascination with his makeshift toy. His gaze shifted to Daniel, who seemed to have finally woken up and was rolling his eyes at Jack's back while the other man was blissfully unaware that he was being mocked. Faced with the sight before him; in an unusual show of humor, Teal'c burst into laughter.

Jack dropped the rubber hose and stared at Teal'c, wide eyed, thoroughly convinced that his friend had finally lost it. Daniel couldn't help laughing at Teal'c which drew Jack's attention to him at last.

"Daniel!" He clapped the man on the shoulder, making him wince. "Sorry—you're just in time. In about ten minutes we're going on a Carter hunt." His words made Daniel look around the room quickly.

"Sam—where is she?"

" She went back to that Hidin' creep."

"Hyden."

"Whatever."

"Why?"

"To help you."

"What!? He could do anything to her!" Daniel's eyes showed the fear each of them felt about what the governor could do to Sam. The atmosphere quickly sobered down.

Jack cleared his throat, forcing the lump back down in order to talk.

" So, how're you feeling?"

"Uh—better. I have some energy, not much. Breathing still hurts like a bitch, I think my head may be slitting in two and I feel like I'm sitting in a sauna. Other than that..." He shrugged.

"Think you can walk?" Instead of answering, Daniel began struggling to his feet. Teal'c moved to help him and once he was standing let go. Daniel Smiled for a half second before crumpling to the ground again, breathing heavily.

"Maybe in a bit. I could do with some food." He took a couple of bites from the dry cracker before slipping into sleep again. Jack sighed.

"Roan, You know your way around here. Let's get going."

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Sam was now deep within the the labyrinthine corridors of the institute, with two unconscious guards in her wake and one of their stun guns in her hand. Following a path she had decided on while hacking into the plans on Hyden's computer, she moved out of the main corridors and into the storage area. If she was going to break the guys out they needed supplies.

She made her way down the correct corridor, checking the labels on the doors as she went until she came to a corner and heard a voice.

"Check in here. This might have what we're looking for."

_Crap! Had news of her escape already got round to the marshals?_ She readied the weapon in her hand and spun around the corner quickly firing three times into the dark before ducking around the opposite wall.

The stun guns were not loud, she could not be sure that she had been on target but the resounding silence that filled the dark corridor told her she'd hit her mark. Rising to her feet she rounded the corner, moving down the corridor cautiously to avoid tripping over any unconscious guards.

She didn't have time to yell as a strong arm covered her face, smothering her. Her right arm was pulled sharply to her side and came into contact with a solid knee, making her drop the gun in her hand. She let out a groan of pain before her training kicked in and she bit down hard on the arm over her mouth before quickly throwing her head back hard into the the face of her captor. This was followed by a quick elbow in the ribs which weakened the man's hold enough for her to spin and swiftly jerk her knee into his groin.

"OW! Holy shit, for the love of god!" The voice was instantly recognisable _What? What the fuck was he doing here?_

"Sir!?"

Jack squinted up in the darkness from where he stood stooped nursing his bruised pride._ I have to be hearing things!_

"Carter!?" She settled her hand on his arm. "What in god's name are you doing here!?"

Her response was decidedly sheepish but she sounded as though she might be trying not to laugh.

"Rescuing you Sir."

"Christ, you could've fooled me." Yeah, now she was definitely laughing at him and he wasn't quite ready to forgive her yet. Not after what she'd done. He stood up straight.

"Something funny major?" She caught onto his tone. It stung her that her joy at finding him again had to be tainted by what she had done. She had known he wouldn't be happy but her relief when she realised who her supposed 'attacker' was drowned out the nagging little voice that told her she had disobeyed orders. _His_ orders. She had never done that before. She did however know that she would do it again, without hesitation if it meant that Daniel was alright.

"No, sir. Nothing funny. How's Daniel?"

"Fine. Come on, get in here, grab some of this food." Sam moved to the open doorway to a store room the colonel had obviously been in the process of raiding when she shot at him.

"Roan? What are you doing here?"

"Samantha!" The small man impulsively hugged her. Jack entered behind her as she stared down at the top of the bald man's head in utter bewilderment.

"Nice reunion, but do you think we could concentrate on the matter at hand Carter?"

"Yes sir." Sam blushed furiously as Roan pulled away, looking embarrassed.

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Daniel looked up at the pair of them in shock as they entered. Jack had a nasty bruise over his nose and was limping slightly. Sam was carrying food under one arm, while cradling her right arm, with her sleeve pulled up showing an angry red and purple swelling where Jack's knee had struck _ Dodgy knee my ass!_

"What the hell happened to you two?"

"O'Neill, were you attacked?"

"Yeah T, actually I was. Fortunately --I won!" Jack was positively spitting. From the moment he was sure Sam had suffered no ill effects from her day with Hyden, he had withdrawn and allowed his anger to simmer under the surface for the whole time the three of them had been making their way back. Her little reunion with the bald guy hadn't helped much. _No wonder he was so willing to help us, since he and Carter have a nice little repartee going_.

Sam was immediately at Daniel's side.

"We managed to get hold of some medical supplies and Roan found our vests. They'd been chucked in storage with a bunch other stuff confiscated form testers."

Sam quickly administered a painkiller, carefully making sure she didn't give him enough to make him drowsy. Teal'c began checking and passing out vests and weaponry. Jack was glad to get his P-90 back and clicked the safety on and off a few times to get reacquainted.

"Right. SG1, Roan, Carter" Jack added as though it were a footnote. "Let's move out. Carter you know the way to the exit right?" Sam pointedly ignored his insult and the shocked glances Teal'c and Daniel directed at her.

"Yes sir."

"Good. I want to be into the woods outside the city by day break."

Daniel paled.

"Jack. I'm not sure I can go quite that fast."

"Well then, when you get tired, the major here will give you a piggy back."

Sam said nothing. She knew Jack was punishing her for disobeying orders. It was proper military practice, but she knew that the work that came with the SGC; SG1's close friendship and the situation they found themselves in would, normally have deterred her commander from this unspoken dressing down.

He obviously had another bone to pick with her and would get to it when he felt good and ready, or when Daniel and Teal'c gave him a talking-to. Until then, she would just have to deal with all the shit he threw in her direction, try not to trip up and above all, not question his motivations.

Zipping her vest up and shaking her self comfortably into her military persona once again, Sam set out past him to take point without meeting his penetrating gaze. This was what they did. This was how things worked. They were soldiers and right now they had a damned hard journey ahead of them and only her knowledge of their prison would get them safely out of here. The last thing they could afford to do was to get emotional.

**AN Oh dear, can't have them getting emotional about things can we? Geez, aren't you guys lucky? Two chapter uploaded in one night (except it was really one chapter split into two). Please let me know what you thought.**

**On another note, I have a muse. It's quite dark, very angsty. Post apocalyptic - AU. I don't want to tell people too much but it's SJ (eventually) and I'm not quite sure I want to try and take on something too heavy, especially since it would mean other things were updated less regularly. I was just wondering what people's response would be...?**


	14. Soldier's Mentality

**AN Hi guys. Next chapter's up thumbs up. Hope you enjoy it.**

**Chapter 14 – Soldier's Mentality**

Sam didn't say a word as they made their way through the various passages of he Institute's utility area. She followed her rapidly fading memory of the layout she had found on the computer in Hyden's quarters, several hours earlier. Luckily, the route was panning out as she had hoped, so far. She knew that it was likely they would meet more marshals before they were clear of the complex. It was vital for any resistance to be dealt with quickly and silently. They would rather have some distance between them and the city when the guards got word to Hyden that they were missing.

The idea of Hyden waking in the morning to find she had escaped from under his nose, gave her a grim sense of satisfaction but at the same time, scared her. He was a powerful man and she had seen first hand how quickly his temper could change if he did not get what he wanted. She remembered the relief she had felt when she realised that there was little or no open ground for them to cross, within the crowded city. The surrounding mountains meant that the entirety of the population was crammed into a space that could not spread over more ground. What she didn't understand, was why nobody had settled outside of this one small valley. They had seen for themselves the beautiful forest and grassland that lay beyond the mountain range.

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Within two hours, the small group entered the trees at the edge of the city. The sound of the few people and vehicles still moving around in the city at this time of night died behind them, leaving only the hollow sounds of their muffled footsteps and the occasional crack of sticks. The ground was coated with moss and the trees blocked a lot of the light from the sky.

Daniel pulled a flashlight from one of the pocket's of his vest but Jack motioned quickly for him to put it away again. They were still too close to the city to risk it, so they continued in the dark, with Teal'c taking point and Sam at the back, behind Daniel, making sure he was managing the walk. A mile later he had to rest. Sam crouched beside him on the moss while he swigged from a water bottle, grimacing at the slightly stale taste of the institute water. He looked pale and was sweating, more than a couple hours walk in the cool night should warrant.

When he finished drinking, Daniel slumped back against the tree stump behind him and felt the exhaustion pulling at him. In his years on SG1, he had toughened up considerably. Gone was the geeky, bookish Daniel who had first arrived on Abydos. He was now as physically fit as any of the air force officers. He had to admit that this was mostly due to Jack's influence. He had learned to work through discomfort, to ignore it – but the difficulty of the last few days was catching up to him and the effects of the injection he had been given earlier were wearing off.

Teal'c joined Sam at Daniel's side.

"Can you continue Daniel Jackson?" There was unmistakable concern in the jaffa's eyes as he peered at his friend. Daniel considered the possible consequences of either stopping or continuing. This was not a well protected place to stop, but if he pushed himself too hard, he would be no use to them tomorrow.

"I think we'd better keep going, 'cause if I sit here for any longer, I'm not getting up again any time soon." He grinned at Teal'c who offered a small smile of relief that Daniel was obviously still feeling well enough to make jokes. Jack stepped forward from where he had stood beside Roan, watching the conversation. His face was hard and his hands rested on the butt of his P-90, strapped to his chest.

"OK then, We need to find somewhere nearby to stop for the night. Somewhere reasonably secure. Teal'c, you and I fan out. Sweep the uphill area and I'll take the lower ground - radio if you find anything. Carter, you, Daniel and Roan keep going along here and keep an ear on the radio." He gave her a passing glance as he dished out his orders and set of walking away to their left, immediately on finishing. Teal'c gave Daniel and Sam, who was now helping him to his feet, a small bow of his head before moving away in the other direction. They watched him until his bulky shape was swallowed by the darkness and the stillness became complete again.

"Ok guys, let's get going." Sam let go of Daniel cautiously, watching to make sure he was steady. They moved out at a slower pace, not wanting to get too far ahead of where Teal'c and the colonel were scouting. They had been going for a further 15 minutes when Teal'c's voice came over the radio – low, but still startling in the quiet forest. Following Teal'c's directions to his current location, they found themselves climbing steeper ground and Daniel's breathing became more labored - when they reached the small cluster of rock's, where Teal'c stood waiting, he was panting heavily, Roan supporting him with an arm around his waist.

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An hour later, everyone had eaten some of the little food they had. Sam had administered more painkillers and antihistamine to Daniel, under the colonel's critical gaze. Since leaving the institute, his mood had not improved. She had done her best to ignore his occasionally sharp comments but it was getting her down. She shuffled a bit further under the rock that sheltered one side of the little enclosure in which they were all huddled. The light breeze snuck under her collar, making her shiver and close her eyes.

She took a deep breath, concentrating on keeping still, with her hands tucked inside her jacket for warmth she may be able to dose but seriously doubted whether she would get any kind of real sleep tonight. Teal'c currently stood on the top of the rocks behind her, on watch. Daniel lay asleep in the corner next to her; Roan was curled in a ball and Jack sat against the opposite wall of the enclosure, his long legs stretched out in front of him. Watching him staring blankly in front of his face she almost laughed as the thought that he might as well have been watching television crossed her mind. He looked perfectly comfortable and were it not for the dark scowl on his face he would have been the picture of contentment.

Turning her face into the cotton collar of her jacket and wrapping her arms more tightly around herself, Sam tried to sleep. When she was almost out, Daniel shifted suddenly beside her, waking her with a start. Turning, she watched as Daniel settled back into a more comfortable position and slept on. _It's alright for some. _ Sam gave up. Maybe if she went for a walk, stretched her legs, emptied her bladder, she'd be able to get more comfortable. She stood and shook her legs out, glancing toward her commanding officer.

"I'll be back soon sir." She knew he would not question her reasons for going, she had been the girl on the team for years now and any awkward questions or comments had been done to death long ago. Jack however, was still not in the mood to let her have things easy and threw a parting shot at her retreating back.

"You'd best be Carter. Don't want you running off again." He realised as soon as he'd said it that this was beyond unfair. She may have chosen not to trust him; she may have disobeyed orders and put him through hell worrying about her, but what she had done, had been by no means cowardly, as he had just made it sound.

She stopped in her tracks when his words reached her but did not turn to him. If she faced him, there was a chance he'd see the hurt beneath the fury. But she realised it was useless to be angry. She had disobeyed him. Disobeyed a direct order form a superior officer. She felt absolutely no guilt, because she had done the right thing but she couldn't expect him to let it go.

She had to keep hold of the soldier mentality. The mentality that meant you couldn't feel anything that life threw at you because your feelings were shut safe inside the nice steel box you built to keep them safe. They go in there when you can't afford to have them on display; can't afford to make them a target. You shut away everything except what you need to survive, because in the end, that's what's important - survival. Without survival, you can't live and so, as a soldier, you have to learn to stop living, feeling, for as long as it takes to survive.

Sam stood for a moment, taking a breath, while keeping her emotions strictly in check. She did not not turn back to him, but said clearly:

"I wasn't running...sir." before disappearing into the dense trees.

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Jack sat silently, listening to the fading sound of Sam's footsteps, receding into the black mass in front of him until he could no longer hear her. He kicked himself. Literally. Why had he just said that. Oh right! Of course! It was 'cause he was a Grade A jackass with nothing better to do than gripe at his 2IC cause she happened to do exactly what he would have done in her situation.

The thought of her, back in Hyden's quarters made him want to punch something, hard. There had been no mention of the cut under her eye when she had returned from him the first time, weeks ago, but Jack had a hard time keeping his cool whenever he saw it. How could a bastard like that even dare to lay a hand on someone as beautiful and kind-hearted as Carter?

_Except you're just as bad._ The annoying, little voice in his head put in. She had gone back, to him, something that took no small amount of courage, and she did it to save Daniel; and if it weren't for her infiltration of the main computer, they wouldn't be here now. Without the drugs currently running through his system, Daniel might not be here at all. And what had he done? Treated her like dirt.

He couldn't get past the sick feeling he got when he remembered their conversation only 48 hours previously. _"__I promise you, we will get out of here.__" _ But his word obviously meant squat to her. She had left, to carry out her own plan, because _obviously _the Fabulous Major Certifiable genius, pulls-brilliant-ideas-out-of-her-ass Carter's plan was always gonna be better than what his run-of-the-mill, idiot brain could come up with.

Jack's mind continued to seesaw from fury at himself to fury at her for a few more minutes in the silence until he was interrupted.

"Jack, you're an idiot."

"Wha--? Daniel, I thought you were asleep."

"I was, but your huge, blundering mistake woke me."

"What are you talking about." He refused to meet Daniel's eyes, staring off moodily into the darkness.

"I'm talking about the stupid thing you just said to Sam. Oh yeah, and your attitude toward her in general...at the moment. I mean you're stubborn at the best of times but this should go on the wall of fame."

"Daniel, shut up and go to sleep."

"Polite as that request was, no. You're gonna listen to me."

Jack tried to reason. "Seriously Daniel, you need to rest or you won't be able to go anywhere tomorrow. Then we'll talk about who's stubborn huh?"

"Nope. You're gonna listen to me, now."

Jack sighed melodramatically, turned slightly away and tried to ignore Daniel, who was sitting up slightly straighter against the rock. "Ok, Jack, first of all. Even if what Sam did was stupid, or wrong; and for the record, it was neither of those things; then this ridiculous bullying is nothing short of childish and the rest of us shouldn't have to endure it quietly." He took a breath. "_If _ what she did was wrong then you should be professional about it and wait until we're home to file a report on her."

"You wanna talk about professional!? She disobeyed a _direct_ order!" Jack pointed wildly after Sam, as he spoke, his temper fast increasing. Daniel was used to dealing with Jack's temper and continued over him without faltering.

"She did the right thing and you know it! You need to swallow your pride and deal with whatever issue it is that's making you this angry about the situation."

"Well, gee Freud thanks, why don't you tell me? Since you seem to think you know exactly what's cracking off in my head!" Jack's voice was rising, which, in their current, somewhat vulnerable position was not a good thing. He also should have realised that asking Daniel to guess what was bothering him was a mistake. The man was creepily perceptive sometimes.

"I don't know Jack! Maybe it's your ego, you hate that we got out of there because of Roan and Sam, but that's crazy since she's saved our lives plenty of times in the past. Maybe it's cause for some reason you feel like you need to protect her, even though she's proved she can do that too!"

"Christ, I'm sitting in the woods, arguing with a drugged up, feminist, archaeologist."

"Maybe you were scared shitless about anything happening to her, as we all were, but none of us are taking it out on her. Maybe the idea of any other man getting close to Sam drives you crazy, but hey – if you felt anything real for her then you'd have found the guts to do something about it by now wouldn't you?"

Jack wheeled around to face him. He stood up, walking around the huddled figure of Roan on the floor toward where Daniel sat and pointed a finger in his face.

"That's none of your business, and you won't ever talk to me about it again. If it satisfies your ego bashing for the day Daniel, I'll tell you. I'm pissed cause I asked Carter to trust me, and she left." This was one of the times Jack hated that Daniel could read him so easily.

His face was set but Daniel could see he had struck a chord. He immediately felt pity for Jack's predicament.

"Jack, she trusts you. She trusts you with her life. Probably more than anybody else." _ And she'd trust you with a lot more if you gave her the chance_. "I'm sorry. I—I don't pretend to know what's going on in your head, or between you and Sam. You care about her and I'm sure everything you do is with her best interests at heart. All I'm saying is that you guys' friendship is one of the most important things in your lives and the team's. You can't let this thing, whatever it is, fester. You have to fix it."

"Indeed."

Jack spun to look up at Teal'c; who was stood, p-90 in hand, on top of the rock Daniel was leaning on.

"T?"

"I concur with Daniel Jackson's assessment, O'Neill. You and major Carter must be able to depend on each other, completely, if any of us hope to make it back to the stargate alive."

Jack looked back to Daniel, a look of utter defeat on his face.

"It's never been any use arguing with you guys has it?"

Daniel's grin lit his face.

"Nope. And you can't court marshal us for kicking your sorry ass into gear either."

Jack's shoulders slumped and he scuffed the ground with the toe of his boot.

"Guys, I really don't think she'll listen to me after what I said."

"Jack, self pity is really unoriginal, just go after her."

When Jack turned back to Teal'c, a look of pleading in his eyes, Teal'c's raised eyebrow dared him to ask for support.

"Fine!" Jack kicked a small stone in Daniel's direction before turning his back on them to head into the trees after the major.

**AN I love this chapter. Daniel and Teal'c kick ass. I know people were looking forward to that-tell me what you thought? Next chapter: Sam and Jack talk. **

**prometheus246**


	15. The Wrong Side of Wrath

**AN I Really like this chapter – hope you guys do too...**

**Chapter 15 – The Wrong Side of Wrath**

Sam sat resting on a clump of moss on the floor of the dark forest . She was listening keenly for any unexpected noise and swinging her p-90 around, the flashlight cutting through the blackness. She may have come out here to unwind but she wasn't about to let herself get caught with her guard down.

She grit her teeth against the anger she felt rising in her chest whenever his final words drifted through her mind. She could understand him being angry but she wasn't willing to be accused of cowardice without protest.

She sighed, realising their friendship was going to need a lot of work if it was ever going to be repaired. The times when they could casually flirt and sit close together on team nights seemed like a lifetime ago and she felt a stab of loss at their memory. _Surely they had been through worse than this and come out alright at the other side, hadn't they?_

Hyden may have bruised her face; imprisoned herself and her friends and put Daniel's life in danger but the thing she hated him most for, right at that moment, was the damage he had done to hers and Jack's friendship. She knew that to muse on the possibility of a life without him as a friend would be too painful so she forced him from her thoughts and focused on her reasons to get home: Cassie, seeing Janet again, watering her plants, a warm shower.

A twig snapped behind her and Sam spun, in a crouch, pointing her p-90 towards the source of the noise.

"At ease Carter." It was the colonel, his hand in front of his face, shielding himself from her flashlight, shining in his eyes. She noticed that he did not sound angry.

"Sorry Sir." _ Neutral enough._

"That's alright Carter. Thought I'd come...make sure you're okay. Not been eaten by any lions tigers or bears?" He sounded positively light hearted. Sam wasn't.

"No Sir."

"Carter--" _ I don't have a clue what to say._

"Sir?" He sighed. Lowering his hand and moving towards her. She realised she was still aiming at him with a loaded gun and redirected it to the forest floor, illuminating the leaves littering the ground.

He motioned for her to sit back down on the moss and crouched beside her, grimacing at the cracks from his knees.

"Carter...I'm sorry." She just stared at him. Clearly, that wasn't enough for him to get back in her good books. "What you did – I know you weren't running away. I made it sound cheap – it wasn't."

"What was it then sir?" He looked at her, confused. Her hard stare was not something he was used to facing. Though he had seen it directed at others more times than he could count, it had never been him.

"What? I dunno. I just wanted to say that I've been a jerk about it. You don't deserve the way I've been treating you. Friends?" He stood, holding out his hand to help her up. She stood without his help, her jaw clenched.

"We should get back to the guys." She turned her back and started walking away from him. Behind her, the colonel gaped. Finding his head, he moved quickly to grab her arm before she took another step.

"Carter wait!" She spun to face him, anger flaring in her eyes.

"What sir!? What is it you want?" Her voice was raised and she pulled her arm free from his grasp. In another situation she would have found his gob smacked expression funny but she was too angry with him._ Does he seriously think that's going to cut it!? Two minutes of friendly chat and everything's dandy again? No chance._

" What? Carter, I said I was wrong - I wasa jerk to you. I've said that!"

"Well great! I'm glad you've got your guilt off your chest! I'm glad you're feeling like the bigger person! I'm glad you've got some moral fucking high ground! Congratulations sir!" Jack couldn't believe it. She was actually yelling at him. His straight-laced major was actually shouting in his face. It was a sight to see.

"Hey! I apologised too! I said you didn't deserve it." Jack got the impression from her derisive snort that this wasn't helping him any. "What do you want from me Carter? I want us to be ok again – what do I need to do?"

Sam seemed to take pause for thought. Jack decided she was probably considering suitable means of punishment. He would do anything. As long as they could all get home, he would do anything to have Sam back on his side. He knew a hint of his desperation had come over in his voice but he couldn't stand the idea of her hating him. He couldn't stand the idea of never making her smile again. He needed her to smile at him _dammit!_ What was wrong with her. She began talking again.

"Why did what I did make you so mad?" _ What? Her as well? Do I have a team of psychics!? _

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you feel the need to be a jackass from the moment we met back up?"

"Jackass?" He was torn between amusement at her choice of phrase and annoyance that she was insulting him. She though, clearly did not find it the least bit funny. "I – you disobeyed me Carter. I'm your CO and you went and did the exact opposite of what I asked you to. That's not the way things work and you know it."

"Yeah, because you're such a stickler for the rules, huh sir?" Nothing, Jack decided, _nothing_ would surprise him ever again. He had seriously underestimated how unpleasant it would be to be caught on the wrong side of Carter's wrath. "What was it _really_? Did it damage your pride? Did it make you feel like less of a big man?" Her voice cracked, because there was a reason she never said any of the things that flashed across her mind when she was angry with him: He didn't deserve it. He was too good for that.

She never truly agreed with any of the things she thought about him when she was angry, but this time, they tumbled out of her mouth uncensored, because he had hurt her and she wanted to hurt him back. But she knew he didn't deserve it and the hurt look on his face clutched at her heart. _ It's too late to take it back now. _A voice in her mind taunted.

Jack was silent for a moment. _ Was that what she thought of him? That he was just another testosterone fueled asshole getting his kicks from bullying junior officers._ _ Well Jack, you haven't exactly done anything recently to convince her otherwise. But what about before? Surely at some point I've done something good enough to earn her respect?_

"I was mad, because you didn't trust me." His voice was quiet.

"What?" It was her turn to deal out the monosyllabic questions, soft and uncertain.

"I asked you to wait a little while for me to get us out, but you went anyway. You went back to _him._"

"Sir--" She tried to approach him but he waved her off.

"Forget it Carter. That's the truth. I hope you can think slightly better of me for it." His words were so broken and heartfelt that tears immediately sprung to her eyes, when she realised how deeply she had wounded him. He thought she didn't trust him? How?

He was looking away from her, drumming his fingers against his gun, where it hung from his vest. She wanted desperately to be close to him, now more than ever. To think that she was capable of hurting him so much made her sick. The thought occurred to her that they were both as stubborn as each other. Two little kids bickering when really all either of them wanted was to make up. A small laugh escaped her, clear in the silent forest. He looked round sharply, aghast at the look of humor on her face.

"Sir, I trust you. I went back to Hyden because...because I knew that it was our only way out but that you couldn't order me to do it. You have to think about everybody – get everybody home safely and if you had let me go back to Hyden then you couldn't guarantee that i wouldn't get hurt." She took a breath, looking him square in the eye. "I could take the risk, because I'm not the CO. I'm not responsible for everybody, just for following your orders. It was easier for me to disobey you than for you to put the life of one of your team at risk."

He blinked at her, digesting her little speech. After a few moments he focused on her again.

"Thankyou." This time, his look stunned look was funny. She laughed again.

"You're welcome sir." Slowly, he smiled. She watched the lopsided grin light up his face, his eyes shone brighter than they had in weeks. The breath left her. _God he has an amazing smile. Much too rare though..._

"Friends?" He was joking now, taking the piss of their stupid argument. She was so relieved to have him back to himself, in a way that he hadn't been since they arrived on this shit-faced planet, that before she thought about it, she had leapt the two strides separating them and crushed herself against his chest, hugging him fiercely, her eyes tight shut, lost in the familiar strength of him.

Jack swallowed. Carter was in his arms, hugging him – damn near suffocating him, not that he cared. He wrapped his arms around her completely, loving the warmth of her, the scent of her. After weeks of near total sensory deprivation, he felt alive again. They were going to be fine, until something else went wrong. But for now, he was content to bury his face against her neck and hug her back, making a mental note to _never_ piss her off again.

When they pulled apart, grinning foolishly at each other, Jack was surprised to see that it was getting lighter – or he was more used to the dark. It wouldn't be light enough to travel for another few hours, but it was getting there. Agreeing that they both needed sleep,before walking again, they set off back toward their little camp.

Unnoticed by either officer, a person dropped silently from the tree behind them, landing on the leaf strewn ground. Smiling, he watched their retreating backs for a few moments before hurrying off to get back to the camp before they did and before it was noticed that he was missing. Slipping away from the sleeping, injured man had been easy. The jaffa was more observant but even he hadn't caught Roan slipping silently into the woods after his friends.

**AN Dun dun duuun! I liked 'The Conversation.' Tell me what you thought please? ( too fluffy?) And tell me what you think Roan is up to...? (Creepy huh?)**

**prometheus246**


	16. Growing Pains

**AN I struggled to decide what to do with this chapter. I felt like it needed a transition chapter with nothing going wrong AGAIN but that sounded like a waste of a chapter so I did this...hope you like.**

**Chapter 16 – Growing Pains**

The next morning, the team and Roan sat huddled against their protective rock discussing their plan for the journey ahead, not having had the opportunity to stop and chat during their escape from the city.

If they travelled during daylight hours, they made themselves easily visible to any of Hyden's goons who may have been sent to find them. But, moving at night in unfamiliar territory, which would become less and less hospitable, once they got further into the mountains, was inadvisable at best - plain stupid, at worst.

Jack favoured daylight, because he thought Hyden more likely to use his 'nifty trucks' than to spend a week or two jaunting through the mountains.

"Carter, don't suppose you could figure out how those things work could you?" Sam shook her head at him.

"No sir, not without a few weeks and I'm pretty sure the technology was integrated into the trucks rather that at the points it travels between, like the Stargate. I'm sorry sir, I don't see that we have a choice about going through the hills."

"Yeah, that's what I figured...so then, through the hills it is." He grinned around at the group. Daniel and Sam both smiled back, glad to see their colonel back to his usual humour. Teal'c looked impassive and Roan looked confused. "How long do we reckon then? Week and a half?"

"At least." Jack raised an eyebrow at Tealc's scepticism.

"T?"

"Temperatures were low during the night O'Neill." Teal'c gave Jack a piercing look, meaning that just because nobody had mentioned how closely the two air force officers had slept during the night, didn't mean nobody had noticed. "Perhaps you were not aware..." Jack glanced at his 2IC who, despite trying to hide inside her jacket, looked a bit flushed.

"Sure I noticed. What of it?"

"It is colder now, than the morning we arrived on this planet. I believe it to be nearing winter. We are likely to face difficult conditions."

"Yeah, I wish we'd brought our heavier jackets." Daniel agreed, wrapping his more tightly around his shivering torso. The cold was bad for is already sore lungs and he longed for his own living room, with the big couch and gas fire.

Sam noticed his discomfort.

"You ok Daniel? You should probably have some more meds." She grabbed her vest from where it lay on the ground and began removing thing from the pockets. Daniel waved off her concern.

"Don't worry about it Sam, I'm fine."

"Daniel, I really think--" Jack stepped in.

"Daniel, I want you to take something. We need to cover some ground today."

Sam passed him the painkillers and antihistamines, which he swallowed quickly, swigging from his canteen.

"OK then!" said Jack, clapping his hands. He was determined to keep the mood up, despite the lousy weather. "We stick to the trees as far as we can. We're gonna move a bit higher to try and avoid any unwanted attention on the lower ground and we'll stick to this side of the valley. There should be a pass a few days in that direction." He gestured vaguely toward the gap between the mountain they were on and the one opposite them. "Think you can keep up Roan?"

The little man nodded seriously.

"Yep." He smiled, using a word picked up from Daniel's wide vocabulary.

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The next couple of days passed uneventfully. Teal'c invariably took point;followed by Daniel and Roan, who talked constantly about a number of topics: Earth, SG1 and their adventures; Hyden's people. On several occasions Jack, walking behind the pair, with Carter, had stopped Daniel short of revealing some need-to-know piece of information.

Jack and Sam brought up the rear, talking occasionally but mostly watching their surroundings. The scenery was spectacular:the higher they moved, the wilder it became and late in the afternoon on the third day, they left the trees behind to see acres or moorland, stretching upward. It was covered in thick gorse, with tough, rocky ground underfoot and a smattering of snow.

They stopped and squinted in the suddenly bright light of the sun reflecting off the snow on the higher slopes.

Sam bent, her hands on her knees, breathing heavily. The colonel glanced across at her concerned._ It's not like Carter to get worn out._

"Carter?"

"I'm fine sir. Probably just ate too much at lunch. She laughed half heartedly at her own comment. Each meal consisted of two thirds of an energy bar,each. They had some more substantial meals but were saving them for potentially colder, steeper climbing.

Her CO smiled and turned back to the view, apparently convinced. Sam turned away, closed her eyes tight and focused on breathing through the sharp pain in her abdomen which had been growing worse for the past few hours.

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They stopped that night in a ditch that would have been muddy if it weren't frozen. It was somewhat sheltered from the bitter wind but Jack sent Daniel and Roan to fetch thick branches from nearby bushes to cover themselves with during the night, since a fire was out of the question in their exposed location.

Sam took each of their packs from them as they separated. Teal'c went to scout the area with a scowl ('to scare the rabbits,' according to Daniel) and the colonel announced his need to water the local greenery.

While he was gone, she sat as still as possible, her knees pulled up to her chest to relieve some of the pain, keeping her breathing as even as she could. She was furious with herself. _Trust me to get cramps like this when I'm hiking through a mountain range. I can't believe I'm letting this affect me so much. Work through it Sam for God's sake!_ Scoffing at herself she stood quickly, ignoring the stab to her stomach and began unpacking food.

"There's a nice spring over there aways, if you fancied a dip Carter. Bit chilly though."

"Is that a hint Sir?" he grinned at her.

"Don't worry Carter, you probably smell the best of all of us." She laughed, feeing better and climbed out of the ditch.

"I'm might do that sir. How cold exactly?"

"Well, I don't know the exact figures but don't pull a face, cause it'll freeze."

He watched her go. Should he have gone too? To watch her back? They had seen no sign of any pursuit and Jack was beginning to feel optimistic that Hyden would do exactly as they had suspected and be waiting for them at the gate. Besides, she was armed.

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Sam stripped down and sank into the icy water, bending her knees so her shoulders were at water level. The colonel was right, it was bitingly cold. Her skin erupted in goose pimples but she stayed still. Just standing here soothed the pain in her stomach and it was worth the cold, so she stood half crouched in the freezing water, her breath misting in front of her face until her fingers were wrinkled and her teeth chattering.

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When she arrived back at their 'camp', the guys were glad to see she looked better and less tired than she had over the last couple of days.

She sat down, as Jack passed out trail bars. Taking her food, she glanced at it, feeling bile rise in her throat at the thought of eating. Swallowing, she forced the whole thing down in a couple of bites and watched the others eat with similar looks of distaste._ Not the only wrong who doesn't feel like eating. There's nothing wrong with you!_ But part of her still harboured a growing concern. The pain should not be getting worse, though it was. She was not usually a victim of bad cramps and she never balked at the sight of food. She felt weaker but that was probably from a lack of comfortable sleep.

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The nights had been colder and even the more touch-sensitive members of the group had taken to sleeping back to back with somebody else for warmth.

As soon as the others were asleep, Sam moved quickly to put several feet of space between herself and the rest of her team, beside Daniel, who was now well enough to take watch and was currently patrolling the downhill side of the ditch.

Shuffling close to the surrounding gorse, she knelt with her head in the bush trying to figure out if she was going to be sick. At this point, it would probably help, if she had eaten something that disagreed with her.

After several moments of kneeling with nothing happening, she sighed and rolled back onto the hard ground to try and sleep, only to bolt upright again as her stomach lurched and threatened to empty itself. Several moments of deep breathing later...still nothing. She wanted to yell. _What's wrong with me!?_ After half an hour of repeatedly laying down only to sit back up again, sure that she about about to hurl, she turned her back on the bush and curled into a tight ball, wanting to cry. This sucked.

Suddenly, her stomach gave an almighty heave and she threw herself toward the bush to be violently sick for several minutes until she was dry-heaving. Shaking, she wiped her face on her sleeve and sucked a deep breath into her shuddering lungs, muttering.

"God, that was horrible." She moved back slightly toward the group but only far enough to grab one of the bushy branches to cover herself before finally falling into a fitful dream. Unknown to her, both Daniel and Roan had heard her quiet sob and saw her shivering as she fell asleep.

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**AN Well, what think you? Like it? What do you think is up with Sam? I'm not gonna tell you yet. If you take a guess and want me to tell you if you're right, then I will do so. I think people who have been through it will guess, but most people are hospitalised before it gets much worse than Sam is now. SHE IS NOT PREGNANT! That would be way to pointless. It's a great storyline in some stories but not this one. I'm not going down the 'OMG she's pregnant (somehow!)' plot. Tell me what you think, please.**

**prometheus246**


	17. Lousy Timing

**AN A lot of people guessed what was wrong with Sam. Thanks for your enthusiastic reviewing :D Hope you enjoy this chapter...**

Chapter 17 – Lousy Timing

The following morning, Sam tucked her ration bar inside her jacket pocket, assuring her teammates that she would eat it on the road. She sat very still and while doing her share to help avoided movement as much as possible. She had slept fairly well after emptying her stomach but still did not feel up to much.

Watching her, Jack grew more and more concerned. He knew Carter to be one of the strongest people he had ever known. If the was tired or hungry, she would work through it. She was also renowned for refusing to show weakness. Jack knew this to be the result of having to fight her way up the ranks in an organisation that was still very male dominated. Come to think of it, Sam was the highest ranking woman he knew.

Knowing that she was good at hiding any discomfort she may feel, Jack, as her CO had learned to spot the tiniest signs of pain or injury from his 2IC. However, he had always trusted her to tell him if there was a serious problem. Now, he watched her, helping the others as they did what they could to remove all evidence of them having stopped here.

She stood stooped over the bush at the edge of the ditch taking the loose branches one by one from Teal'c and hiding them among the other plants. He noticed that she did not stand up straight, even when there was no call for her to be hunched she remained slightly doubled up.

At that point Daniel and Roan returned from the spring where they had gone to take care of any ablutions and calls from mother nature. Roan moved away in the direction and Sam and Teal'c to help them in their task. Jack continued to gaze in their direction. When he reached them, the little man stood beside Teal'c, breaking small branches while keeping a careful ear on the two men behind them.

"Jack, can I talk to you?" Jack turned to Daniel who had not followed to join the others. The younger man's face was uncommonly grave.

"Sure. What's up?" He was surprised when Daniel gestured away from the group, for some privacy.

"Something's up with Sam." This was not what Jack had expected and the statement both made him relieved that he wasn't being paranoid and terrified that both he and Daniel had noticed something and still, Sam had said nothing.

"I know. She hasn't said anything but she's not herself."

"She was throwing up last night." Again Jack was surprised. _Why the hell hasn't she said anything?_ Daniel looked sick himself. From the look on his face, Jack could tell it hadn't been pretty, but then, when was it? "She kept going to the bushes, then tossing and turning trying to sleep. I decided just to give her some space but when she threw up...she was really hauling Jack – she couldn't stop. She looked like hell.

"You spoke to her?"

"No. I let her sleep." Jack couldn't believe that a member of his team had been violently sick, yards away from where he was sleeping and he hadn't noticed. _ God Jack! Time to get the ol' retirement papers out again, you useless bastard._

"God Carter, what are you doing?" He said under his breath but Daniel heard him clearly.

"You know what she's like Jack, you're the same."

"I'm not that damn stubborn. She's got some explaining to do.

"OK Jack, but take it easy. She's just trying to put the mission first, you know that. She never complains about stuff."

_Put the mission first!? What was the point? Why even bother escaping if you're gonna neglect your own heath on the way home?_ He sighed and strode away towards the three at the edge of the ditch. Roan focused more fully on the breaking of twigs as the colonel approached.

"Alrighty folks we're moving out. Teal'c, just chuck those last branches over there." He gestured vaguely and Teal'c complied, flinging the armful of large branches into a dense area of gorse.

With Teal'c and Daniel taking point, Roan keeping pace behind them, Sam made no response as her CO drew up beside her where she was walking in silence. She watched the ground and concentrated on breathing without wincing. After a quarter hour of walking across reasonably flat, rocky ground, she was chewing her lower lip to keep from whimpering at the pain which was now a constant sucker punch to the gut. She had pulled her dark sunglasses over her eyes to hide behind.

Jack gave up on hoping that Sam might give in to a whim suggesting she tell her commanding officer that she puked her guts up last night, just in case the mood took her.

"So Carter, what's going on?" He asked with all the false cheer he could muster, hoping she would catch onto the fact that he was pissed. She did.

"Sir?" She glanced at him sideways. Her stomach clenched sending a sharper stab of pain across her muscles, almost making her choke on the word.

Her pitiful voice managed to undo Jack's growing anger, for now. He spoke softly.

"Daniel said you were ill last night. Are you OK?"

"Yes Sir, I'm fine now. I think I'm just struggling with the sudden change in diet from eating cardboard crackers for weeks." She tried to joke but it was obvious form her tone that she didn't expect him to be any more amused than she was.

"Listen Carter, I trust you to know when there's something wrong with your own body, but for god's sake, we can't do anything for you if you won't tell us when something's wrong. You're sure you're fine?" _Please Sam tell me the truth._

Sam heard the plea and felt suddenly guilty. She had hoped to improve but so far, there had been no signs of the pain letting up. There was something wrong with her, but that was the last thing any of them needed. Surely she could handle the pain until they got home. An unbidden voice in her head told her exactly how much it doubted that. _ I can manage a day's hike, if it's no better I'll let him know and they can fill me full of high strength pain killers._ A different voice inside her head did a perfect impression of Homer Simpson '_mmmm...painkillers...' _The thought of what the colonel would say if he knew she was hearing Homer Simpson inside her head made her smile.

"I have abdominal pain Sir, but it' not bad. I should be fine."

"Let me know if it gets worse. If you leave your dinner at every camp it'll make it real easy to track us." He gave her a wink before turning to tell Roan to keep pace. Sam swallowed her laugh, knowing that it would make the pain unbearable but she smiled meekly as they fell silent.

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Scanning the horizon for any feature of the landscape that might provide some shelter for a night, Teal'c could see the other three men of the group further along the ridge that he and Major Carter stood on also searching for a place to stop.

"Can you see anything Teal'c?" Sam lowered her binoculars and placed them in his outstretched hand.

"There is an area where the ridge dips. It would make a good defensive position, but it is small for five people."

"Yeah, I saw that. Not great."

"There may be be more appropriate choices further up the mountain."

"Yeah." _I was afraid you'd say that._ She sank onto a rock beside where they were stood and leaned forward, pulling her knees to her chin. The pain was at it's best if she was lying down, curled up. That however, was hardly an option. It had become gradually harder to stand upright as the day had drawn on and the muscles of her stomach were tensed to breaking point. She was grateful for the mist in the air from the nearby waterfall, cooling her face.

"Are you feeling well Major Carter?" Teal'c scrutinised his friend's ruddy face.

"I'm fine Teal'c." She had sounded less convinced of this over the past couple hours. "I'm just tired."

"We should rejoin the others." Teal'c held out his hand to her to help her up. It was obvious that the major was not 100 percent. None of them were. He scanned the surrounding valley more closely as they walked. Hearing a pained gasp from behind him, he spun on his heal to find the major doubled over and clutching her abdomen.

Dropping to his knees, scanning her for signs of injury Teal'c saw her face, contorted in pain. Her eyes were dry and closed, her lips white and her jaw clenched.

"Major Carter?" Teal'c spoke clearly, looking for a lucid response. She nodded and after a few deep breaths opened her eyes. He gave her a moment to gather herself. "Can you stand?" Another nod. He slid an arm around her waist for support and lifted her to her feet, speaking into the radio as he did so. "O'Neill, Major Carter is unwell."

Fifty yards ahead of them Jack swore colourfully, thumbing his radio controls.

"We're coming back to you Teal'c. How is she?" His breath held in his throat until the answer came over.

"She is standing, but in considerable pain."

"OK, get to the best place you can find nearby, we'll find you. O'Neill out."

Jack set off at a jog back down the slope towards the place he had last caught sight of Carter and Teal'c.

When he arrived, with Daniel and Roan in tow, Jack hit the radio button again for more precise directions.

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Sat sat with her back against a rock when he reached them, one of Teal'cs strong hands on her shoulder, stopping her from standing.

"Carter?"

"Worse Sir." _Typical, she's talking through gritted teeth but still manages to say 'sir.'_

"Right we're stopping here for the night. Teal'c." He tossed the man a fresh packet of extra strength pain killers. "Carter, what have you eaten today?"

"Nothing sir."

"Then get some food into you right now."

"Yes sir." He watched her closely as she removed the same bar he had given her at breakfast and opened the wrapper. All her movements were as small as she could possibly make them. He guessed that even now, the pain was worse than she was letting on. She needed to be properly checked over.

"Teal'c, can you and Roan go scout out the area – nearest water any possible hazards, best place for a watch." Teal'c nodded and led Roan out of the thick cover of plant life surrounding the group.

Jack waited as Sam ate half the trail bar, then passed her the drugs and an open canteen of water, filled fresh from the spring that morning. She swigged them down, avoiding eyes contact with either of the men. Daniel caught Jack's eyes, looking worried.

"Ok, take your jacket off." She glanced at him, confused. "I'm gonna check you out." He flashed he a grin and she visibly relaxed, tugging her jacket off painfully, with Daniel's help. Jack began the routine questions. "Your stomach right?" She nodded. "When you move?"

"The pain is constant sir, but it's worse when I move." She began making her own mental diagnosis as she answered his questions, forcing herself to face the possibilities that she had, so far refused to think about. "Last night didn't make it any better either." He nodded and she could tell from his expression that he was thinking along the same lines as she was. It was not a happy thought.

"Lay back." she obeyed his gentle request, without question. Laying back on the uncomfortable ground as Daniel arranged her jacket beneath her head.

Jack laid his hands on her stomach, feeling her flinch slightly. "Sorry." He pressed against her skin, watching her response. Her skin was hot to the touch, much more so than it should have been. Her muscles were tense but there was nothing obviously out of place. He pressed higher, below her ribs – less pain. Pressed lower – more. More pain when he lifted his hands away than when he pressed down.

Sam stared at the sky as the colonel examined her. The ground was stony and she was cold but she felt safe, which was ridiculous considering their situation. His hands had been cold when he first touched her skin and she had flinched but he was being as gentle as possible

Twisting her head, she could see his face. He stared back into her face and she suddenly felt a lot less safe, seeing how grave his expression was.

He wanted to find something, anything that would tell him that this was something simple, something that would pass. When he felt her shivering, he helped her sit up and pull on her jacket.

"What do you think Carter?"

"Appendix?"

"That's what it looks like at the moment but we have a problem."

"We can't be sure, but if we do nothing and it is appendicitis then..."

"Yeah..." He nodded, knowing exactly what could happen if an inflamed appendix was not removed. Appendicitis, rupture, peritonitis, septicemia, death.

If Carter had appendicitis and they did nothing, her appendix would rupture, the excess toxins within her body would inflame the lining of the abdominal cavity and she would be poisoned to death from the inside out as the toxic chemicals were leaked into her bloodstream and carried to the rest of her body.

Sat huddled on the ground, in a clump of bushes, in the growing dark, Sam began to feel the panic setting in. She lifted her gaze to meet that of her Colonel. His jaw was clenched, his eyes unreadable.

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Daniel excused himself in order to go find Roan and Teal'c. As he walked away from the clump of bushes, he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. He found himself irrationally going through the blurred events of the last month trying to remember if there was something he could have done, some warning sign he could have picked up on before he had. But he knew it wasn't possible. Appendicitis was notoriously fast developing. A tenth of the population experienced it and the only reason more people didn't die was the easy availability of hospitals and qualified surgeons. Most people were admitted to hospital with hours of developing symptoms and most were in theatre within 24 hours.

When Daniel had been laid up with appendicitis several years previously, he had looked up statistics, out of boredom. The mortality rate of appendectomies was less than ten percent in standard cases_ In a hospital, not a ditch_. This rose to forty percent in complicated cases, people who were otherwise ill, _or have spent three weeks as a damn guinea pig!_, or cases in which treatment was delayed beyond 48 hours. _ Sam been in pain almost three days!_ Grabbing a rock off the ground, Daniel hurled it as hard as he could in the direction of the river,yelling his frustration. He watched it fall, his shoulders slumping and turned away, swiping a tear from his face.

"Daniel." Daniel stopped dead. Roan stood in front of him, gazing up at him in concern. "Is Major Carter unwell?"

Daniel tried to pull himself together.

"Yes, very unwell. It ...uh, it doesn't look good." He looked away again, clearing his throat and blinking.

"You are upset." It was not a question but this man's habit of stating the obvious had grated on Daniel from day one and right now he just didn't need it.

"What!? A friend of mine, a very close friend is in danger, of course I'm fucking upset." Teal'c appeared behind Roan at that point looking to Daniel for an explanation for his raised voice. Daniel sighed. " I'm sorry Roan." He strode past the man and led the way back to Sam and Jack, while filling Teal'c in the details. He saw his friend's face become increasingly upset as they drew closer.

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"What are we going to do?"

"What do you want us to do?"

"Sir I--"

"It's up to you Carter. Nobody else can make this decision for you, you know that."

"I think it would be easier if they could." She looked down at her boots, tears forming in her eyes.

Jack stared across at her. He tried to take in every detail, the sound of her voice, her hair in her eyes, he wanted to be selfish. If he was going to lose her then wanted everything he could have, branded in his memory, but all he could see was her pain. She kept her eyes on the ground, looking younger and more vulnerable than he had ever seen her. In moments he was at her side, pulling her against him and surprised to find that she was still shivering despite how warm her forehead felt against his cheek. He held her as tightly as he dared, without hurting her.

She felt calmer. Hysterics would be of no use. If she chose to take this risk then she knew that there were no people she trusted more than her team to get her through it, so why should she fall to pieces about it. It was a no brainer really.

"What are my options?" her felt her words against his chest.

"Do nothing or...exploratory field surgery."

"So... do nothing and maybe die or surgery ...and maybe die."

"You know I'm not qualified to do this."

"You're the best I have. You have the basic knowledge, if not the practice. It only has to last until we get home."

"I know, but it needs to be clean. There's no point in removing the bugger to then have you go toxic on us." She snorted at his choice of phrase.

"Hey, no giggling."

"I know." The humour faded quickly as she felt the knife point return. "I'm scared."

"Me too. Is that a decision?"

"Yeah, I think so. Don't suppose you'd consider leaving me behind? I could follow if I'm feeling better in a couple of days or..."

"Or we'll have left you lying dead in a ditch — not gonna happen."

"Thankyou." She looked up into his face and saw the fear there - and a torrent of other emotions. For a moment she wondered if they could come out the other side of this without their relationship having changed. Maybe this was the breaking point, sitting here together, knowing that this could be their last chance to say...anything.

Jack's heart shuddered, looking into her pained face, tears held at bay in her eyes. She was so beautiful, how could there be a universe without her in it? He had to say something. Why was he so hopeless with words?

Should he kiss her? Did it have to complicate things? Only if they let it.

He kissed her lightly, just a touch to let her know he was there and hopefully to let her know so much more. She sighed.

Pulling away after only a second he rested his chin on her head.

"You should eat some more. Get your strength up, make sure you pull through."

"What do we have?" She wasn't sure she actually wanted to know.

"We have some hefty drugs that'll knock you out for a while, with the right dose. Needle and thread, a knife and some surgical spirit."

"Lucky me."

"Yeah, I'm gonna make you carry it all home too as payment."

Again she tried to laugh but instead groaned as the movement jarred her insides.

"You know Carter, I used to think Daniel had lousy timing."

**AN I didn't think I'd done very well with this chapter, but let me know.**

**I actually had a situation very similar to this. I was on a canoe expedition in Canada and had appendicitis for just over three days before I was flown to Sioux Lookout and driven back across the border. I had been deliriously semi conscious for a while, my poor team had to carry me across portages and then I had a wonderful Canadian surgeon and an awesome nurse, Wayne, who brought his Stargate videos from home for me to watch in the hospital while I recovered :D Anyway, let me know what you think – I wasn't too happy with this myself.**

**prometheus246**


	18. Anesthetic

**AN written at 12:16 am so may contain some mistakes. Anyone for emergency field surgery?**

Chapter 18 - Anesthetic

Daniel swallowed past the lump in his throat, watching Sam's white fingers; feeling her vice like grip loosen between his hands as the anesthetic took effect.

Unable to watch her face as she slipped into unconsciousness he lifted his eyes to where Teal'c stood vigil. Daniel couldn't see the jaffa's face but he could see the muscle in his jaw clench. Teal'c turned briefly to face him and Daniel saw the painful fear and understanding in his eyes.

True to form, Sam had refused any kind of goodbyes or ceremony as she hugged them each in turn and they wished her luck. Jack had even managed a joke about Napoleon before inserting the needle into her arm but nobody had missed the way his arms shook as he held her.

Now though, he was all business. As soon as Sam was out, he passed her arm to Daniel to monitor her pulse and rearranged the jacket lying beneath her. She had removed her jacket and shirt and Jack couldn't help thinking how pale and vulnerable she looked against the rough ground. Testing the scalpel, freshly unpacked from the medical kit, he placed his hand on her waist, his thumb pulling the skin slightly tighter, wanting to make the incision as small as possible.

He stared for a moment at the line marked in black pen across her stomach, starting beside her right hip. He took a deep breath. Never in his life would he have believed himself capable of taking a knife to this woman. _Stop it. It's not her. It's just a training dummy. I don't have the experience to do this!_ A memory popped into his head. _"Emergency surgery is not about experience. It's about doing what you can to save a life." _ She would never be just a training dummy. It was Carter. Glancing at her peaceful face, he focused on the tip of the scalpel and began the cut.

After separating the muscle, it was obvious that the wall of Sam's abdominal cavity was showing some signs of poisoning, though as far as Jack could tell, it was in one piece. A small miracle.

The appendix had inflamed to the size of a fairly large chilli pepper – two or three times what it should be. A small perforation near the base was leaking toxic fluid to the surrounding tissue. No doubt Sam would be feeling the sting from that for some time. Slowly pushing his gloved fingers into the incision, Jack tied a suture tightly around the top of the organ. He made the cut as

cleanly as possible, his heart beating in his throat, terrified that he would nick another, more vital part of her system with the blade. Holding the top of the appendix with tweezers he carefully removed the scalpel, dropping it into a small container of disinfectant.

Removing the appendix, he placed it in plastic bag catching Tealc's eye as he turned to him with a wrinkled nose.

"Yup, definitely toxic." He winked at Daniel who was breathing through his jacket collar. "The smell never really comes across in hospital dramas."

Teal'c, Daniel and Roan watched silently then, as Jack made an effort to completely flush out the abdominal cavity with Saline solution. He dropped swab after swab on to the plastic sheet. Having gotten through this, a residual infection was the last thing he wanted to have to deal with on a trip through the mountains. Antibiotics would be thin enough on the ground as it was.

First stitching the wall of the peritoneum;then inserting a small tube to drain fluids, Jack was finally feeling as though the worst was over as he began placed the needle against Sam's skin.

"Jack, her pulse is speeding up." Daniel's voice sounded a little shrill with fear.

"Ok. I'm almost done." Jack's mind returned to the mantra that had haunted him before he had started. An endless list of potential complications. _ Pulmonary problems; bleeding; infection; deep vein thrombosis; rupture of surgical incisions-- Shut up! Concentrate._

He swore as his fingers slipped inside the sweaty gloves, making him fumble with the needle. He stripped them off, throwing them aside and began stitching. Daniel watched silently, counting Sam's pulse under his breath.

"I'm almost done." He said again, this time to himself. He was uncomfortably aware of how clammy the major's skin now felt. "Ok. I'm done." HI words were horse as he cut the thread. Dipping a cloth into surgical spirit, he wiped the bloody fingerprints from around the stitches, careful not to displace the drainage tube.

"Her pulse is slowing again." Daniel heard Teal'c release a breath at his words.

"Ok. We're gonna need a stretcher for the next few days, think you guys can arrange that?" Roan nodded eagerly but Daniel looked skeptical.

"How long has she been under? I thought it wasn't a very strong anesthetic..."

The colonel sighed, glancing at his watch.

"Too long. Especially with her...alien juice." Daniel nodded. The naquadah in Sam's blood had had a weakening affect on sedatives before. "She'll pull through Daniel, she just needs time." Jack insisted, his eyes not leaving the dressing he was taping over Sam's battle scar.

"Jack--"

"Daniel!" Daniel stared back into Jack's face. O'Neill made a dismissive gesture with one hand. "Just...go pick up sticks."

Once Daniel had left Jack finished taping the bandage and piled the instruments and materials back into his pack. He could sort it out later. He took off his jacket, draping it over her torso. During the operation, goosebumps had appeared on her arms. He checked her pulse. Fairly regular, a little thready.

He sat back against the tree stump that formed that back wall of the ditch and eased Carter's head onto his lap. Releasing a shuddering breath, he felt the adrenaline from the surgery ebb from him and suddenly felt exhausted. He stroked her hair, feeling her shallow breath tickle his wrist.

"C'mon Sam."

**AN Whew, tense. Too much medical jargon? R and R please**

**prometheus246**


	19. Misplaced Sense of Guilt

**AN Hi guys, finally I've got another chapter up. It's nearly 1am but I've done it! Unfortunately, this 1 (or two if i decide to split it in half) will be the last one for a while as it's exam season and I'm going away for 3 ½ weeks after that. (Unless the same thing happens as last time and I write more in order to avoid revision :D) Anyway...hope it's a good one (or 2), to tide you over 'til late July...**

**Chapter 19 - Misplaced Sense of Guilt**

Sam had no idea when she first regained consciousness. She had a few disconnected moments of awareness and when she fully awoke she struggled to focus on the person sat beside her on the ground. Shifting her head she felt the lining of an SGC jacket against her cheek. Blinking several times, she thanked god it was dark - just having her eyes open started a headache off.

'Daniel?'

Roan jumped when her hoarse voice broke the silence.

'No, I uh...' he reached out to touch her shoulder 'Are you feeling ok?"'

'Yeah...' her voice felt prickly in her throat. She would kill for some nice chilled mineral water. She made to sit up but the pain was back, though different now and she felt the familiar tug of stitches. Gritting her teeth she gave up and laid her head back on the jacket. Roan saw her discomfort, he watched her closely for a few seconds. Seeing the pain clearly marked in the set of her jaw and also seeing the way she turned her face away to hide it.

'I'll uh...' apparently making up his mind as to what to do he sprang to his feet and yelled. 'Colonel O'Neill! Colonel!' Glancing down at the woman on the ground with a slightly embarrassed smile, he only had to wait a few moments before the thump of boots announced the Colonel's arrival. And he'd brought a scowl with him.

"Jeez Roan, do you think you could yell a little louder? I don't think _everyone _ heard you. The point of us spending the nights lying in filthy ditches is to stay _hidden -_ not just 'cause we enjoy getting dirty!' Roan felt a flash of irritation at the man's attitude but quashed it, opting instead for a carefully confused expression. 'Sorry I-- She's awake.'

This caught Jack's attention, stopping him as he was about to go into another tirade about the wonders of radio technology. His eyes flew down to Sam's prone figure. He crouched beside her, checked her pulse, it was stronger now and he breathed an almost inaudible sigh of relief.

'Carter?' He could have sworn his heart stopped for a whole fiver seconds while those fabulous blue eyes opened, regarding him seriously for a second and then her face lit with a smile – a small one but given the circumstances, he'd take it.

'Hey, what have I told you about dosing off on the job major?' Listening closely, Roan was shocked at the change in the man's tone. To have gone from hissing anger to this gentle mock admonishment within a few heartbeats had to be some kind of record.

'How'd it go?' having asked the question, Sam wasn't entirely sure she wanted to hear the answer.

'It was fine, scary but fine.' Sam's eyes widened at his admission and Jack could have kicked himself for how sentimental this woman could make him. It was downright annoying sometimes.

Luckily for both of them, the embarrassing moment was broken by more boots and some huffing and puffing from Teal'c and Daniel, who's lungs were still not quite up to scratch.

'Hey Sam!' She grinned back at Daniel's joviality.

'It is good to see you again Major Carter.' Teal'c gave a half bow of his head.

'Why Teal'c, did I go somewhere?' Sam teased and tried again to sit up, this time assisted by her CO. Having gotten her sat upright against the tree trunk again, jack helped her pull her jacket round her shoulders; checked her stitching; helped her gulp some water and talked her into taking some painkillers. He was just about to ask her if she wanted more water or another jacket for warmth when she cut him off, 'Sir, I'm fine ...really, thank you.' She tried to smile reassuringly and the Colonel O'Neill took the hint backing off enough to sit at the opposite side of the ditch facing her.

Teal'c and Roan arrived some minutes later, having left Daniel to take the first watch of the night. They discussed the surgery, briefly and what they could expect for the rest of the trip back to the gate. All three men watched the major closely, for any sign of discomfort – something she was aware of and grateful for. As a team, it was just what they did. She was obviously tired but managed to hold conversation and eventually excused herself to lay down and sleep. A wile later, long after the major was asleep, the three men, moved closer around her, shielding each other somewhat from the wind that blew between the branches of the gorse and pulling ferns across to provide some layers of warmth. Teal'c settled behind Sam with Jack in front and Roan beside him.

At one point in the night, Sam woke, barely becoming aware of her surroundings more than enough to recognise the silver head beside her and giving into a moment of weakness, pressed her face against the heat of his shoulder to go back to sleep.

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'Carter, you have just had abdominal field surgery, there is no way, honestly _no way _in the sphincter of hell, you are gonna _hike_ today. You've got a tube sticking outa your gut for crying out loud.' he gestured to her stomach, flabbergasted that she could even entertain the notion

Sam gave him the best withering look she could muster while sat in a muddy ditch with the Colonel towering over her.

'Sir I really don't see what the _tube_ has to do with it.' She reached up, grabbing a fistfull of gorse and began to laboriously haul herself to her feet. Jack made no move to stop her. Only when she had stood upright-ish and given him a triumphant smile, right before he saw her eyes lose focus and her knees give way did he move to catch her. She recovered quickly as he set her firmly on her butt on the ground but had the grace to look slightly sheepish. Jack folded his arms.

'You were saying, Carter?'

After that, Sam made no further objection to being carried by makeshift stretcher, even though the branches were rough and snapped off twigs prodded her in places they had no business being.

The going over the next few days was slow. It was taken in turns to carry the stretcher. Daniel and Roan always working together, as with Jack and Teal'c to keep the height level.

By the third day, Jack was allowing Sam 15 minute periods of walking, with good long rests in between. On occasion she fell asleep, though it was rare. Her dressings still needed cleaning, though it was a lot cleaner now. Still, the rest of her team watched her like hawks. No wince of recovery pain went unnoticed despite her best efforts.

On the forth night, Sam sat, in charge of a tiny campfire. Gear was piled behind her against one of the trees that were scattered around. They were now on the long decline into the next valley and the nights were mercifully growing warmer. Jack and Teal'c had gone scouting and Daniel sat on the opposite side of the fire to Sam, chewing and energy bar in between touching up the stretcher, which Sam dismissed as pointless since she wouldn't be needing it much longer. Daniel however, thought that if their master and commander had anything to do with it Sam would still be taking it easy for a few more days.

Jack had been overly protective of the whole team since leaving the institute, often referred to in much more colorful terms, whenever it came up in conversation.. He had been hovering around both Daniel and Sam over the past few days, like a mother hen. Daniel's analytical mind attributed this to some misplaced sense of guilt over getting them stuck in 'that shit-hole' to start with. That was just what Jack did.

In the growing dark, the conversation turned to Earth, to Janet and Cassie, and good food and as often happened on long off world trips they talked longingly about what they would do when they were back earth-side.

Sam was recovering from a fit of laughter at something Daniel had inadvertently implied about Janet and a bubble bath, while her wide eyed friend tried to explain that he didn't mean it as it had sounded when they were cut off by a familiar discharge of energy and an enraged roar from behind them.

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**okey dokey. Next chapter will be posted tomorrow and things are getting GOOD! It's all already written. I will post it in the morning. It is now 1.30 am so I apologise for any mistakes. Let me know what you think**

**prometheus246**


	20. Debts and Chances

**AN This is the next chapter, cause I split this and the last one in two. (Lots of dialogue in this one) Hope you like...**

**Chapter 20 - Chances**

Jack and Teal'c were almost back to where they had left the two scientists, chatting and eating when Jack saw something that made his blood freeze in his veins. Sam and Daniel sat by the fire, somewhat obscured by trees and yammering away. Jack smiled as he watched Sam erupt with laughter at something Daniel had said. Her eyes lit up and her head tipped back and she looked better than she had in weeks. Scanning the wood on either side of the pair by the fire, his eyes landed on the fifth member of the group, gripping a P-90 in a way that suggested he didn't know how to use it, while aiming clumsily along the sights, at Daniel and Carter's backs.

Jack flung out an arm to stop Teal'c in his tracks. Teal'c immediately caught onto the situation and hefted his staff weapon in preparation to fire.

'Stop,' Jack's voice was low and dangerous, Teal'c could only just hear him.

'If you hit him, it could discharge anyway.' Teal'c hesitated, his eyes sharp and not leaving the small bald man beside the tree. It did not sit well with him to wait so instead he adjusted the aim of his staff and at a nod from Colonel O'Neill, shot the P-90 clean out of Roans hand, reducing the weapon to a lump of smoldering metal which fell to the ground just as Jack launched himself, with a yell of fury, on top of Roan.

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Sam spun around to see Jack tackle Roan to the ground where they struggled for a moment in the fallen leaves until Jack had the little man held down by the throat.

'Colonel!' _Has he lost his mind!?_ Jack ignored both hers and Daniel's shouts of surprise. He was too busy glaring into the face that had been making him uneasy since he tagged along on this dog and pony ride.

'What the hell do you think you were doing?' His voice was still low and threatening. Roan attempted to answer but was unable thanks to the force of Jack's hands around his windpipe. Seeing the man's predicament and still completely non-plussed as to what was going on, Daniel touched Jack on the shoulder.

'Uh, Jack, I don't think he can answer with you choking him.' Jack growled a response and let Roan breathe, only to grab him by the collar of his jumpsuit and hoist him several inches off the ground.

'Well!?' his voice was no longer quiet and the woods seemed to vibrate with it.

Roan spluttered and gasped, still catching his breath.

'I was just having a look! Why did you shoot at me!?'

'Because you were pointing a loaded gun at members of my team asshole!' Sam and Daniel aped in shock at this revelation._ What the hell?_

'I was just looking to see. I didn't know how to work it!' His voice was high with panic but he apparently had lots more to say. 'It's not like I have any way of defending myself! I'm completely at your mercy. You, with your...big guns! And _you_ treat me like dirt!' This he directed at Jack. 'You behave like I'm some contagious animal that's following you around!'

'Maybe because that's what you are!'

'Jack!'

'Shut up Daniel!' He took a ragged breath. 'You listen here you little weasel. You helped us out of the hell palace, that meant we owed you one, it _didn't_ mean we have to like you _or_ trust you! We have no idea why you were even in there to begin with. For all we know you could be a fucking murderer! But we have let you snivel along with us, we've split our food with you, meaning that we've all had less, and we're offering you sanctuary on Earth! Correct me if I'm wrong but I think that about covers any debt that I owe you and my first priority is the safe return of my team and _I_ will not hesitate to remove anything that jeopardizes that. Got it!?' He dropped Roan unceremoniously to the ground.

The little man stood and dusted off his clothes, his face filled with more defiance than Jack had seen from him until now, and stalked away to a tree some meters away where he lay, with his back to the fire and curled up to sleep.

Jack watched him wide eyed and still breathing heavily. 'Yeah, apology accepted by the way!' Daniel gave Jack a disapproving look at his comment. 'Daniel, don't eyeball me. I'm taking first watch. Don't take your eyes off _him_.' He jabbed a finger at the curled figure on the ground and with that, he stalked away in the direction he and Teal'c had come from.

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Sam slept badly, reliving the scene that had just unfolded. _ Had Roan really been pointing a gun at her and Daniel? Was it an honest mistake? Had the colonel been too hard on him?_ After only an hour she woke again and instead of trying to get back to sleep, slid out from between Daniel and Teal'c and pulled herself to her feet, breathing deeply for a moment to avoid the dizziness she knew would follow. Once she felt steady, she set off in the direction Colonel O'Neill had gone, squinting through the darkness at the still form of Roan as she passed him. Teal'c watched her go and closed his eyes again.

In an eerie reversal of when Jack had startled her in the woods Sam soon found herself staring down the barrel of a P-90.

'It's me Sir.' The barrel lowered.

'Carter? You should be resting.' Despite this he gestured her over to where he had been sitting. He shifted his P-90 and she lowered herself to the ground beside him. He gestured towards her stitches.

'How are those feeling?'

'Oh, fine sir. Thanks for asking.'

'Sure.' The silence stretched.

'How are you feeling Sir?' He glanced at her sideways in the dark.

'Oh...you know...' He floundered. Fish out of water when it came to talking about his feelings.

'No, I don't know.' she sounded miffed.

'Carter—'

'Just-- are you ok? I mean obviously your not great – none of us are, but...are you ok?'

'...Yeah...thanks for asking.'

'Sure.'

The next time it was his turn to break the silence.

'Do you think I went off too strong at slime ball?' He jerked his head in the direction of the camp.

Sam hesitated.

'Honestly Sir, I didn't see what... I don't know I guess. It's hardly a common situation. I guess we're all kind of making it up as we go along.'

'Yeah...' he laughed at her assessment. 'Too right – seat of the pants eh?'

'It's got us by so far.' He couldn't see her face but she sounded as though she was smiling.

'Yeah...just. Some close calls though.' He nudged her with his elbow to make his point.

'Sorry sir.' She was silent for a moment. 'I got through it though, thanks to the soon to be legendary field surgeon, Jack O'Neill, with two 'l's.'

'Mhmm, the guy with one 'l' has no sense of humor at all!' She giggled against his arm and he was powerfully reminded of another moment, years before in a mine, when they had been unaware of who they were. This time was infinitely different but the similarities were uncanny. He stared down at the top of her head, that and her pale face the only parts of her visible in the close shadow of the trees. 'I was scared stiff for a while there though.'_ God, what was it about her that turned him into an...open...__feely__ kind of guy!?_

Sam looked up into his face and could tell he was embarrassed but also sincere in what he had said.

'Me too.' Jack turned slightly and leaned forward to plant a kiss against her cheekbone. The unusual contact startled her and she pulled back, looking confused. He could have kicked himself, if he weren't sat in such an awkward position. He hurried to correct his mistake.

'That was just...for pulling through..or luck, or something.' He turned away and gazed into the woods, trying to ignore the warmth of her still sat next to him. Until she spoke.

'What was the other one for?'

'The other what?'

'The other kiss, before the surgery.' As if he could have forgotten.

'You didn't complain--'

'I know. But that wasn't what I asked.' He was silent for a while, mulling over how best to answer. Honesty? Did it matter? He doubted it would change anything.

'The other one was just...because I didn't know if I'd get another chance, what with..' He gestured to her surgical wound again.

This time, the silence was the longest so far. Jack stared out into the darkness around him, wondering whether he could escape and flee back to camp with his dignity intact.

Sam processed his answer, surprised to feel the sting of tears at the back of her eyes.

'I think you would have got another chance.' She told him, taking his hand.

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The man watching from deeper in the trees gritted his teeth. The events of the day had made his decision for him. Though he still had his doubts, there was nothing for it now, they were getting too close. After running a few paces, making no noise as his feet danced over the damp leaves, he flung himself skyward, leaving his more physical body behind and becoming lighter, faster, as he soared toward the valley.

**AN ooooh, even I'm excited and I know whats gonna happen! Well, hope you enjoyed it, please let me know. Sam/Jack- good? Not good? What do you think is going on?**

**Well, goodbye until the end of July then. Everybody have a good summer!**

**prometheus246**


	21. Not Taking Sides

**AN Ok, next chapter's up. Um...the last pieces of the story aren't fixed in concrete yet but I think there's about 5 chapters left (including this one – but not including an epilogue – If I do one) So, It's getting close to being done. Anyway, here's the next installment. Enjoy.**

Daniel woke early. They were still in gray semi-darkness. What light the sun was giving barely made it through the trees and he squinted more than usual as he sat and pulled his glasses case from his vest pocket. Sam and Jack lay beside him and now that Sam wasn't pressed against his back as she had been during the night, the wind permeated his jacket, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

Standing, Daniel stretched and began walking downhill into the trees to find Teal'c on his watch and keep him company until Jack and the others awoke. Teal'c sat on an uncomfortable looking rock, which was half submersed in the soft, mossy ground; his back to a tree, staff across his lap.

'It's just me Teal'c.' Daniel warned, once he was within talking distance. He had seen Teal'cs reactions at their best and did not think it wise to startle the man by creeping up on him. Teal'c turned his head sharply, then relaxed. Standing from the rock and giving it a look of deep dislike, which Daniel couldn't help but find amusing. 'Comfy watch?' he asked, smiling innocently at his friend.

Teal'c turned back to surveying the surrounding trees.

'Not particularly.'

Daniel moved to sit on the rock and the two chatted easily for a while, Teal'c never taking his eyes off the surrounding woodland. Once Daniel could not bear to sit on the wretched lump any longer he stood and suggested they return to the camp now that it was almost completely light.

As they reached the edge of the trees. They could see Jack laying still asleep on the ground and Sam rummaging through packs, retrieving bent and squashed energy bars for breakfast. Daniel stopped suddenly in his tracks, by the last tree, staring thoughtfully across the clearing to where a couple of packs had been left separately from the ones Sam was sat next to.

Teal'c turned back to him.

'Is there a problem Daniel Jackson?' Sam looked up from what she was doing, her face mirroring Daniel's worried expression.

'Daniel?' He turned to her.

'Sam, Where's Roan?' She jerked her head around to the spot he had been gazing at, then around the clearing, her face becoming more anxious.

'I don't know. I thought he was with you. I woke when you left about an hour ago.'

Daniel remembered seeing the sleeping form on the ground when he had left to find Teal'c. He pointed to the two bags leaning against the tree.

'Sam did you put those there?' She glanced away towards the bags and felt at once surprised and defeated when she realised what how easily they had been hoodwinked. She shook her head. Teal'c broke the pressing silence.

'If Roan attempts to make it to the Stargate alone he will almost certainly be killed by Hyden's forces.' Sam could not bring herself to acknowledge the truth in this. She stared bleakly at the bags, placed so neatly, side be side at the base of the large tree where Roan had curled up to sleep the previous evening.

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For the second time in as many weeks, Jack woke to find Teal'cs face within inches of his own. He jerked backwards.

'Teal'c! I've told you about doing that!' He ran a hand over his face and rearranged his baseball cap on his head.

'Sir, Roan's gone.' The colonel's head swung round to face his second in command who was almost-standing behind Teal'c. Staying upright for any length of time was still painful and she tended to walk around semi-stooped to relieve the pressure on her abdomen, if the pain got bad.

'He's what?'Jack asked with obvious disinterest. Sam's eyeroll was barely hidden. Normally his just-woken-up-in-the-morning cluelessness would be endearing but she knew full well he'd heard what she said and she didn't care how much Jack disliked Roan, they were at least partially responsible for his safety.

'_Gone,_ sir.' Jack looked around from where he sat on the ground. He even looked behind him, where a large boulder blocked his view for 2 yards on either side. This time it was Daniel who rolled his eyes.

Finally Jack stood up, dusted off his pants and moved between Sam and Teal'c to his pack. Pulling out a ration bar he stuffed the wrapper in his jacket pocket and took an excessively large bite out of one end. After one or two moments of silent chewing, he got tired of ignoring the three other members of his team stood with mixed expressions of irritation, exasperation and feigned patience.

Daniel had taken up his usual 'Jack's being an ass' pose. Hands casually on hips, head tilted to one side with a very fake cheery smile on his face. The other two held similar expressions of irritation and though Sam was leaning heavily on Daniel's shoulder, she looked no less menacing. He sighed.

'Well, what do you expect me to do? We've looked after him plenty. If he wants to put himself at risk then that's his dilemma.' More staring. ' He's not our problem! We have to get safely back to the gate - Carter needs medical attention – we are NOT going to go running around the hills looking for a fugitive!'

'Jack—'

'No Daniel he's right.'

'See? I'm—what?'

'You're right sir. When do we move out?' Jack and Daniel were both staring at Sam, gob smacked. Colonel O'Neill was first to recover.

'Fifteen minutes. And _you_-' he pointed a warning finger at Sam as she moved to begin packing up their meager camp. 'Sit down. You should be resting for god's sake not walking around and certainly not lifting stuff.'

'Sir, I-'

'Sit!'

She mumbled a 'yessir' and dropped unceremoniously onto her pack.

Jack and Teal'c began replacing wrappers and jackets in packs and removing, where possible, evidence of their having stopped here.

'Excuse me!?' Jack didn't even look round.

'Yes Daniel?'

'Does anyone else have a problem with the fact that we are leaving a helpless man to starve to death or get shot by armed soldiers?'

'Daniel...' Jack closed his eyes. He didn't need a fight about this. 'This is the way it's gonna be Daniel. If we bump into him, we'll do everything we can to help him but I'm not going to go out of the way to look for him.'_ I will not put the team at risk again for the same guy that was pointing a gun at you 12 hours ago._ 'Can you do this while I check Carter's stitches?' He held the pack in his hand, in which he was replacing flashlight and firelighters, out to Daniel. Daniel gazed at him for another moment. He was not happy with the decision but it was obvious that it was not up for discussion. He stepped forward and took the pack and flashlight from Jack, not meeting his eyes.

Sam lowered herself awkwardly to the ground as the colonel approached. He looked exhausted and harassed. The transition to this from the nonchalance he had displayed upon waking was a little startling. He crouched down beside her, placing his warm fingers against the stitched incision: pressing gently and stretching the skin. Sam couldn't hide a wince. Her abdominal muscles remained extremely tender. Anything but the slightest movement caused sharp pain but it was certainly bearable and she was growing accustomed to moving in a way that minimised it.

'It's definitely stopped draining. We could remove the tube if it bothers you but I wouldn't entirely trust myself not to hash it up.' He looked down at her. She shook her head.

'It's fine. Leave it in. It's only another two or three days back.' Jack nodded and helped her stand.

'Thanks Carter, for ...backing me up.'

'Your welcome sir, but with respect, I wasn't taking sides. You were right. The safety of the team has to come first, even if it doesn't sit quite right. I understand Daniel's point but Roan isn't our responsibility and we did help him as much as we could afford to.'

Jack nodded, not meeting her eyes.

'Right. We've had enough trouble this trip.' It was a throw-away comment but his tone worried her.

They set off, moving at a reasonably slow pace, as Sam was walking, rather than using the stretcher. She made use of surrounding trees to support herself and in areas where the forest grew thinner she was supported by Teal'c with a strong arm around her waist. By the afternoon, she was exhausted and the three men rotated in carrying the stretcher. Conversation was noticeably thin on the ground.

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As dusk was falling the chief officer strode past several guards on his way from the great ring to the governor's temporary accommodation, set back beside the road. Stopping outside the doorway, he cleared his throat.

'Governor?' After a pause Hyden appeared at the mouth of the tent. 'Sir, I'm here to report.'

'Of course. Let's walk.' The governor gestured towards the path leading back to the stargate.

'Yes governor.' The chief officer looked back longingly at the warm interior of the tent as the governor passed him. 'Guards on the ring are being changed every four hours as you ordered sir. The marshals patrolling the edge of the clearing haven't reported anything. All seems quiet sir.' Hyden slowed when they reached the clearing where glowing lamps illuminated the stargate and made the darkness of the surrounding trees impenetrable. Four men guarded the gate itself, with marshals dotting the boundary between clearing and forest every few yards.

'Ok. Thank you chief.' The officer nodded and made to leave but hesitated a moment.

'Governor – it's been two weeks. They must be close. I could send factions of my men into the forest to fish them out. We could take them by surprise--

'No. We won't send anyone into the forest.'

'We could bring them back alive sir, if you-'

'No!' Hyden stared hard into the trees. 'We wait for them here.' He paused. 'I won't divide the soldiers. These fugitives are extremely well trained. It would be a mistake to underestimate them.' He turned back to the chief. 'Thank you for your report officer.'

'Yes Governor.' The man bowed his head and started back along the track to the camp at the road.

Hyden continued for a moment to stare into the darkness held at bay by the lamps on all sides. He seemed to expect to see something but after several long seconds he turned his back to the trees and followed the officer back to the camp.

**AN Sorry it's late guys. begs forgiveness Afraid this is kind of a stop-gap chapter BUT, the next chapter is gonna be shippy! Anyway please let me know what you think.**

**prometheus246 **


	22. This Game

**AN Last chapter before they reach the gate folks and tension is riding high. Hope you enjoy...**

**Chapter 22 – This Game**

Teal'c lowered his binoculars and passed them to O'Neill. The Colonel scanned the valley and sighed, tucking the binoculars back into one of the pockets on his pants. Glancing at Teal'c, the two of them shuffled backwards from the ridge and once sure they would not be seen, turned and stood upright. The last few days had been reasonably easy going, if slower than he would like; with Sam improving and doing longer stretches on her feet. Now it seemed, fate was making up for the reprieve.

Daniel and Sam crouched in wait just within the tree line which started a short distance from the edge of the ridge. Colonel O'Neill said nothing as he approached them, with Teal'c in stride, but motioned them farther back into the woods.

'Well, there's guards. Lots of 'em!' He told them once they were a safer distance from the edge of the trees and stood in a tight circle on the leafy ground. The Colonel's grimace made it clear that despite his understatement, their plans for reaching the gate safely were not going to be easily realised.

'How many, Sir?' Sam was standing up straight, without assistance which admittedly was a good sign but the question was; would she be up to a fire fight? _Sure she will! It's Carter – tough as nails!_

'Two on the gate and at least twenty more in the immediate clearing, but by the look of it, they've got a base camp, back by the road and that means they have reinforcements.'

'But wait a minute,' Daniel frowned considering what Jack had told them. 'We only have to get through enough of them to get to the gate and the DHD right? If we take out everyone in the clearing, one person can dial and send the IDC and the others can keep any reinforcements at bay. What?' Jack was shaking his head.

'That usually works Daniel, but a clearing like that is a nightmare to defend. There's trees on all sides and you can be surrounded before you know what's bitten you in the ass. Three of us can't hope to watch all sides. Besides, there's no way we could neutralise everyone without at least one person getting the alarm out to the reinforcements.'

'And Hyden's not stupid. He's governor for a reason. He'll probably have people posted along the route from the road to the gate.' Sam looked up at her CO, matching his grave expression. 'We can't afford to underestimate him Sir, especially now we've ticked him off.' Jack nodded looking hard at his second in command who, after holding his gaze for several seconds, glanced away, staring between the dripping lower branches of trees that rocked and creaked slightly from the wind buffeting their peaks. He did not want to think about what may have happened to Sam for her to find that out.

'Ok kids, lets get a bit further in before we settle in for the night, shall we? Cold ration chow tonight, my favourite.' He lead the way, his team following, unable to humour him. They all felt the irony of his words, since none of them were likely to be able to sleep.

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The arrival of darkness found SG1 sat uncomfortably on damp ground by a sliver of water, winding it's way downhill from the summit of the peak to their west. The stream could only be seen in a few places, where it was not clogged with rotting leaves, but the sound was, to some extent relaxing and gave them a chance to have some fresh water, rather than keep drinking the stale stuff, which they had had in their canteens for two and a half days now. There had been a couple of occasions where one or more of the team had almost leapt out of their skins at the sound of a dislodged rock or stick being washed down by the water.

They had all eaten – more than they usually would. They had finished about an hour ago and now sat, discussing in hushed voices, any and all possibilities for reaching the gate in one piece.

'Sir, maybe we need to consider a less direct approach?' All eyes cut to Sam.

'What do you mean?' Daniel's face had lit up in hope, but O'Neill and Teal'c both remained impassive.

'Well, maybe, we need to ...I don't know, set up a distraction or...maybe there's a way we could somehow minimise the forces Hyden has at his disposal...?' She shrugged. It was the best she had for now.

'You mean...attack the base camp before we try to make it to the gate?' The colonel's face said it all. Sam waved it off. She knew they were scraping the barrel.

'Right.' She sighed. 'It would be pretty counter productive.' She went back to ripping soggy leaves into small pieces over her boots.

'Yeah well, you're a little off.' Her smile was only half hearted. He was right. She was nowhere near fit enough for an assault like this. Problem was, she really had no option. Colonel O'Neill had not tried to suggest that she not be involved in the break for the gate, which she appreciated but knew that if another gun-hand weren't essential, he probably would have.

'I like the distraction idea, in principle. The problem is we don't have enough people. Splitting up is _not_ an option.' His voice rose in frustration. 'We are all going through that gate...' He made sharp gestures toward the neighbouring valley. '...together.' He dropped his hand in defeat. He could see no way, even marginally safe, of them getting through the gate. 'Ok we can't sit here forever...and my butt's freezing to the ground.' Sam caught his eye and looked away grinning, having caught his answering wink. 'I'll take first watch. Carter, then Daniel, then Teal'c. Check gear and weapons then get some sleep.'

He strode away in the direction of the ridge again. Having checked, guns, zats, staff weapons and the couple of grenades they had with them, the other three lay shivering on the ground, close together. Their clothes were all damp to the skin and Daniel couldn't remember the last time he hadn't been covered in goose pimples.

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Sam felt Daniel stir as she hurriedly shut of the alarm on her watch. Rolling over, she got slowly to her feet, wincing at the familiar stab of pain. She flicked on the flashlight on her P-90 but kept it pointing down at the ground. Daniel was laying still again. She smiled. Despite having been part of a military team for years now, he could still fall right back to sleep unless he discerned any _actual_ danger that was important enough to drag him from his dreams.

Keeping the light trained on the ground, Sam moved off in search of her CO, to relieve him. It was only the second night she had been permitted to take a watch during the night. She toggled the radio, not wanting to get too close before he realised who she was and risk getting shot. They were all significantly more jumpy, now that they were on the doorstep of the camp full of people waiting to arrest them and throw them back into the institute.

_'Carter?' _The volume on her radio was turned down but still sounded painfully loud in the horribly still forest.

'It's me Sir. Just didn't want to take you by surprise.' Another light broke out of the blackness, maybe twenty yards away, strafing backwards and forwards, broken occasionally by dark tree trunks. She made her way towards it, eventually lighting Jack's face with her own.

'Ow, hey!'

'Sorry sir.' She lowered the light.

He shifted across on the ground so she could lean against the trunk beside him, before both extinguished their flashlights.

'Mind if I stay out for a bit Carter?'

'No, sir. But you should get _some _sleep.' He made no response to this so she went back to scanning the woods. It seemed pretty useless. She couldn't see a thing, but after a few minutes, as she became accustomed to the darkness, she could make out the gentle rise of the ground as it approached the ridge and above it, a grey light filtered through the trees from the sky. She tried not to think about the following day. They had faced dangerous situations before, countless times. But she could not escape a burning sense in the pit of her stomach, that _something_ was going to go wrong. Maybe it was just because she was injured.

Her thoughts wandered to Roan. They had seen no sign whatsoever of him since he had run away, four days ago. Not even Teal'cs tracking skills had picked up on any sign of anybody but themselves having walked, eaten or slept in the area they had traveled through. She hoped he was alright, if only because it would ease her guilt about him being left to fend for himself.

She had tried to think back over the few days he was with them because, she couldn't remember if there were any other signs of strange behaviour before he pointed a loaded gun at Daniel and herself. Problem was, she had been kind of out of it. Strange behaviour from an alien man was not at the top top of her priorities.

Why did she have such a sense of foreboding about tomorrow?

'Sir?'

'Carter.'

'Sir, are you afraid of death?' She felt him shift uncomfortably, though she couldn't see him.

'Why?'

'I don't know sir, just...curious.'

'Worried about tomorrow?'

'We've been in worse situations. I think we've all been pretty emotionally wrung out on this one though. I guess that's what the institute does to people.'

'Yeah.' He blew out a breath and she knew immediately what was coming. She smiled before he even spoke again. 'So...worried about tomorrow?'

'Yessir. Our entire lack of any plan is probably just making me nervous.'

'Run like hell and shoot anything that's not wearing green isn't a plan?' Jack's heart warmed a little when she laughed and elbowed him. He was not feeling good about tomorrow either.

'No Sir, I don't think so.'

'Oh.' They lapsed into silence again. The major sat thinking and finally her brain seemed able to kick some neurones into gear and come up with something useful.

'What about using snipers Sir?' He was silent for a moment.

'We don't have silencers.'

'We have zats.'

'Go on.'

'I think we'd be able to make it across the open ground ok. You said he has no marshals outside of the clearing and the route to the base camp? He's concentrated his defense?'

'Right.'

'So we spread out - come in from several sides. If we coordinate properly, we can take out almost everyone in the clearing from the trees before they can react. There shouldn't be too many left. If we use zats, they won't hear us from the base camp.'

'Someone is still gonna be able to raise the alarm.'

'Yes sir, but I think it probably gives us as best a start as we can hope for. We only need one person to dial and send the code back. How about one other person is in the clearing. The other two, coordinate watching the surrounding forest. If Hyden tries to send people round from the ridge we at least wouldn't get cornered in the clearing and whichever two stay behind the tree line can also offer fire support against any reinforcements that come along the path from the road.' Jack was smiling in the darkness. She sounded like Carter again.

'Yeah. _That_ sounds like_ a _planWe'll run it by Daniel and Teal'c. Still counts on a lot of luck though.'

'Mhm. But it's better than nothing. Once reinforcements arrive we can change from zats to

P-90s.'

'Right.' He sighed again. 'Still worried?'

'Yes.' She nodded. Her voice was small and it really worried him. 'Can't seem to shake it.' She took a shaky breath. 'It's a cliché but... it was an honor serving with you. I know I've told you that before but...just in case-'

'Carter shut up.' It was an order, not a request and it stung.

'Sorry Sir.' Neither said anything for a long while. Jack didn't care that his words had effectively ended the conversation. He couldn't deal with her thinking like that. He _had_ to believe that they were all going home tomorrow, so if she had doubts...

He studied her profile in the grey light filtering from the sky, through the branches to where they sat. _Dammit!_ He had been thinking about her way too much over the last couple of weeks. He was sure he wasn't usually this bad. Maybe it was because of the appendix thing; maybe it was because of Hyden, or because her hair was long enough now, that it fell in her eyes and she would run her fingers through it to push it off her face, which was pretty unproductive, since he was pretty sure that whatever she did to it, Carter's hair would always have a life of it's own. Maybe he just too sick and too tired to continue trying to hide how he felt about her. This mission had certainly affected him. He was starting to think seriously of retirement...again.

'I'm sorry Carter.'

'That's fine sir.' It was clear from her tone that it was not fine.

'We can't afford to go into what ifs Carter, you know that.'

'Yes sir.'

'How's your stitches?'

'Fine sir.' Sam gritted her teeth and took the plunge before her better judgment could make itself heard. It had bothering her and she had pushed it to the back of her mind but now, it pushed it's way to the forefront again and spilled straight out of her mouth. 'Sir, about that kiss.'

'What kiss?' His tone was flat. Nonchalant.

'Fine. Forget I mentioned it.' She stood from the muddy ground and strode away. 'I'm going to check the ridge sir.' Jack sat stunned for a moment. _What the hell-?_

'Carter!' he hissed, scrambling to his feet. 'Dammit Carter, come back here!' His voice was louder now and she spun round, eyes wide with panic at how his voice had carried. He glanced around irritably. No armed guards leaping from behind trees to shoot at them. Not yet. He strode towards her. She watched him approach, her heart in her throat, unsure whether she was about to be disciplined or finally given some answers. Either way, his face was set and her chest thumped with apprehension. She glanced towards the ridge again, half tempted to make a run for it. She'd take twenty armed marshals over a pissed off Jack O'Neill most days of the week.

Once within reach Jack grabbed hold of her arm, forcing her to face him. His grip was tight enough to leave marks but neither of them cared.

'What the hell Carter? Don't just walk off like that!'

'No sir, it's fine. It's obvious you just want to continue doing what you usually do.' She tried to pull away, but he held her firm, unimpressed with the tone she was using. She couldn't get away with dropping that on him and then backing out and being snappy.

'What thing!?'He demanded. Sam looked at him like he'd grown a second head. This time she succeeded in pulling her arm away from him.

'Making jokes about everything. Behaving like there's nothing going on here!' Her voice was louder now, though she kept herself in check, suppressing the urge to hit him._ How dare he!?_

My _jokes_ bother you! Of all the things Carter, you have to insult my humour!' He said it to piss her off and she knew it, so she ignored him.

'I'm sick of _always_ being the one to bring this up! I'm sick of this seesaw. Whenever I want to talk seriously, you're not interested!' It was a real effort to keep her voice low.

Jack couldn't help but laugh derisively.

'Carter, ever heard of the pot calling the kettle black? Let me just have a little memory check here – it was _you_, I seem to remember who wanted to shut this-' he gestured between them as she had done. '-in that isolation room! Not me Carter.' He jabbed a finger in her face, driving his point home. 'You.' He took a deep breath. 'And I've respected that.'

'Yeah, you've respected the hell out of it.' He was right, she had wanted to keep their feelings shut up but there had been times when she had tried to open up to him, thought about changing the status quo but he had always shut her down. Tried to show him that she still cared and _never_ had he given her the same reassurance. He had hidden behind the team dynamic, his damn jokes and his 'Carter.'

Neither of them could meet the others eyes. 'You kissed me.'

He sighed, and pulled his hat off to mess up his hair and rub his eyes in exhaustion.

'I know.' She wasn't the only one who was sick of this ...game. But what did she expect from him? He had placed the matter squarely in her hands when he agreed to go on as if nothing had happened. As if his heart didn't ache.

So many times, he had gone home after a bad mission, shaking as he drove, until he was safely inside his house and could yell out his frustration and fear. It killed him to watch her hurt or afraid and not do anything more about it than what his role of commanding officer allowed, but it was what she wanted. 'Look Carter-'

'Sir,' She looked as though she about about to say something more but seemed to change her mind. 'You're probably right. It's probably best just to forget it.' She pointed up the gentle slope towards where the horizon through the trees was lighter. 'We have a job to do tomorrow. You should probably get some rest. I'm going to check the ridge.'

She did not look at him as she turned and made her way swiftly through her trees. He watched the light of her P-90 on the ground until it was out of sight.

**AN I know there was a lot of talk but I think the majority of it was necessary. (longest chapter of this story so far.) Anyway, nobody cares what I think, i want to know what _you_ think! So let me know.**

**prometheus246**


	23. Into The Open

**Next chapter is up. **

**Chapter 23 – Into The Open**

Daniel and Teal'c it transpired, liked Sam's sniper idea very much. She had filled them in early the following morning, before the sun had fully risen as they stood strapping on gear, in the dim early morning light that filtered through the canopy.

'Sam that's brilliant! Sorry.' he quickly apologised at her wince as he clapped her on the back. Teal'c nodded in acknowledgement.

'Not really Daniel. We would have thought of it sooner if we'd had silencers for the P-90s. Zats don't make sharpshooting very easy.'

'Now we just need to decide who does what.' Said Jack as he approached, snapping a clip into his P-90.

'Carter, I think you should be in support. That way if those in the open need to pull back you won't be doing any running. Well, more than you'll have to anyway.' He amended. Given the amount of resistance they were likely to encounter, running was probably the only way any of them would get to the gate. 'Daniel, you can dial. You're good at that. And ducking, you're good at that too.' Daniel gave him a withering look but Jack wasn't paying attention. 'T buddy, that leaves you and me. Wanna flip for it?' He patted his fatigue pockets. 'I'm not sure I have a quarter anywhere on me...'

'I will assist Major Carter in the forest O'Neill. You can assist Daniel Jackson.'

'OK.' he nodded. 'Are we ready?' Colonel O'Neill was all business now. 'Let's move out.'

They approached the ridge above the valley at a swift crouch which Sam found incredibly uncomfortable. Finally flat on their bellies, watching the movements of the soldiers around the gate and in the base camp by the roadside. There was no sense of urgency about them, which Jack found more unnerving than if they had appeared tense and paranoid.

Sam scanned the area that was not obscured by trees, adjusting the focus of her binoculars. She could see no sign of Hyden. She did not think it likely that he would mount a serious military defence without being close by to watch the proceedings. It was obvious that he took a close personal interest in the institute and matters pertaining to the Stargate. He would also have a personal grudge to settle. She had conflicting feelings about the governor. His arrogance disgusted her but at the same time, she pitied him. Her brief glimpse into his life was that of a very lonely man. Whether her pity would allow her to forgive him for what he had done to them, she was unsure. She doubted it, particularly when images of Daniel, coughing and weak came to mind. She glanced across the colonel's back to where Daniel lay in the grass, beside Teal'c. He looked pale and worried, but healthy- more so than she was. Thank God for modern medicine.

'OK.' Jack stowed his binoculars in his vest pocket. 'We're going to stay down, as far as that line of rocks and then follow that round until it meets the trees.' He pointed down the shale to a line of larger boulders than ran around the side of the valley which had clearly been deposited by the receding shoreline of water that had filled the basin centuries ago.

Sam gritted her teeth as the four of them crawled over the ridge and began the laborious descent into the valley they had been trying to reach for almost two weeks now. She had barely bent at the waist in days to avoid the inevitable pain. Now, she was irritated because minimising her movement had become habit.

They made their way, flat on their stomachs, weapons slung across their backs, until they could crouch behind the first of the larger rocks. Again Jack lead the way, moving at a swift crouch around toward the tree line, where they stopped again to regroup. No words were exchanged but Jack gave the appropriate signals for them to split up and enter the forest at several points, to avoid drawing attention to themselves.

They made their way in near silence through the trees, moving synchronously across the fifty yards of woodland toward the clearing where they had first made the mistake of trusting the people on this planet.

Teal'c chose his position carefully in order to neutralise as many of the marshals within the clearing as quickly as possible. Sam sat with her back against a tree, unclipped and primed her zat; hoping that the nearest guard, a few yards away would not react to the sound. She took a second to catch her breath, waiting for further instructions. Jack and Daniel prepared themselves. Jack scanning the clearing and then his team. They were all grim faced, but ready and waiting for his signal. He took a deep breath and raised his hand.

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A quarter mile away, the base camp was in chaos. Marshals ran in all directions, arming themselves and shouting instructions. Hyden stood in the command centre watching a computer monitor over Karn's shoulder.

'You see Governor. The first spike was recorded two minutes ago, at the edge of the forest closest to the eastern ridge. Since then, we've had several signals from motion sensors within the forest. They're definitely making a move on the ring sir.'

'Good. How many marshals do we have there?'

'Eighteen Sir and several units now on their way. It's lucky we got prior warning. They might have been able to take the guards on duty by surprise but even these aliens aren't skilled enough to overcome fifty of our best.' Hyden nodded, his face anxious, though Karn could not understand why.

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Half of the guards around the gate were taken down in the first assault. The others were able to return fire once or twice before they were also hit. Daniel swore loudly as a blast hit the tree he was crouched behind, showering him with splintered wood and leaving a smoking stump behind. Teal'c sent several zat bursts toward the marshal responsible. One of them found it's mark as the man let out a yell and fell backwards against the steps to the Stargate.

Jack shot off a couple more rounds and then ducked back behind his tree. There was the sound of one last zat coming form Carter's direction and then silence. He glanced left and right. Through the smoke, his team seemed to be unscathed. He stuck his head out again, prepared to pull back at any sign of movement from within the clearing, but there was none. He dropped his zat onto the ground and pulled his P-90 round, checking the clip, before signalling to Daniel, and leaving the protection of the forest. Teal'c nodded across at Sam and the two moved to new positions, to maximise their cover fire.

Daniel made immediately for the DHD and laid his zat on top. He scanned the symbols. There was one which he did not recognise and took to be the point of origin. Jack glanced back from his position at the end of the track, leading to the road.

'Daniel!' He growled, 'you do _remember_ the address for Earth don't you?'

'Yes Jack, I do.' He called back, already punching in the first of the symbols. 'I was finding the-' Jack didn't hear the rest of his sentence as gunfire erupted from Sam and Teal'c positions and Jack swung back to the track where energy weapons blazed from behind almost every trunk. He aimed at the bursts of light, firing relentlessly for several minutes. There was ringing in his ears and he became almost unaware of his actions as adrenaline took over. His P-90 swung back and forth as he gazed along the sights, seeing darkness full of noise and flashing lights.

Soon, he was forced to fall back as far as the DHD, behind which Daniel was bobbing up and down, trying to dial between dodging the shots flying close to him, though honestly, even if he managed to dial and send the IDC, there was no way they could make it to the gate without being hit. They were pinned down. Jack arrived at a run, landing on his knees beside Daniel and immediately resumed firing.

After a moment, Daniel reached up again to dial but as his head rose above the plinth, he dropped back down almost immediately, sparks falling over him as one of the shots from the path hit the DHD. Daniel was shaking from the near miss, but he went up on his knees again. His heart dove into his stomach and he flopped back to the ground, his ears ringing form the bedlam surrounding him._ Shit!_

'Jack!'

'Just dial Daniel!' Jack did not take his eyes from the trees or his finger off the trigger.

'Jack! They hit the control crystal! It's gone, we're stuck!'

_'Dammit!_'

From behind the tree line, only Teal'c could see the reason for the delay. He had seen the shot hit the DHD and seen the look on Daniel's face as he ducked back down and shouted to his commander. From the other side of the clearing, Sam's view was obscured by the gate. Her whole body was tensed as she pumped round after round along the trail. For a while, the amount of opposing fire seemed to have dropped but she could dimly see more people moving into position. How had so many arrived so fast? If Daniel didn't get the gate open soon they were going to be overrun. She paused long enough to replace her spent clip, her breathing loud in her ears. When she spun around again, in her prone position, to face the gate again, Sam felt the shock wave shake her as a grenade detonated in the entrance to the trees.

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Jack had huddled behind the DHD with Daniel, who lay panting, with a nine mil in his hand, preparing to return fire, though it would do little good.

Jack caught hold of his arm. Daniel turned back to him. Jack gave clear 'duck' gestures and tugged the pin from the grenade he was holding. No need to be told twice, Daniel dropped down and covered his head. Jack stood, threw the grenade hard into the trees and dropped to the ground.

He felt the explosion but did bother to look.

'Daniel, _run!_' Daniel was white but if they were going to get out from behind the DHD, it was right now. The colonel caught him by the collar and heaving both of them off the ground, pulled him into the open.

Within two strides, Jack's back erupted in pain and he fell to his knees, hitting the grass and dragging Daniel with him as he fell.

**AN Well, I was not a big fan of this chapter. I had trouble figuring out what was going to go in it. But reviews are loved, so if you enjoyed it, let me know. Next chapter is when things start _happening. _)  
**

**And for those of you waiting for news, I have done quite a bit of work on the next chapter of _Colony_ so that should be up within the next few weeks.  
**

**prometheus246**


	24. To Go Down Fighting

**Angsty slush warnings in this chapter. If you're of a sensitive disposition... get tissues. Sorry the update has taken a while but education must take precedent – things at college have been crazy! Anyway hope you enjoy this one. **

**Chapter 24 – To Go Down Fighting**

Daniel fell hard, beside Jack, his first thought was that Jack had pulled him down to keep him from getting hit by something he hadn't seen but a flash of red caught his eye and he whipped round, his eyes falling on the bloody hole in the colonel's uniform. He reached out, but before he could touch his friend, the blasts around them resumed, though in lesser numbers. The reprieve that Jack's grenade had bought them was over.

Sam was running before her mind processed what she had seen. Pitching her last grenade into the trees, she used the distraction provided to reach Daniel and the colonel at a sprint, where they lay in the open, without cover. Daniel was white. She gave no instructions, simply grabbing one side of Jack's vest and, with her head ducked low, tugged him with all her strength towards the Stargate. Daniel caught on, taking a fistful of the colonel's uniform and adding his efforts to Sam's as they pulled him, on his front, behind the stone dais, the only other sheltered spot in the clearing besides the DHD.

From the corner of her eye, Sam was aware of Teal'c breaking cover and leaving the woods to draw the enemy fire away from his team mates. He shot off several bursts, as he traversed the distance to the DHD, ducking quickly behind it, to reload and glanced across at the rest of SG1. They were safe, but a thick line of the colonel's blood marked their retreat.

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Sam's ears were ringing. Her hands were warm with his blood.

'Help!' Daniel, help me!' Daniel fell back on his haunches, at a loss. There was nothing he could do! He grasped Jack's shoulder, as if trying to comfort the man who was barely conscious. Jack's body heaved as he coughed violently, blood pooling from his mouth onto the ground. Drops fell on the legs of Sam's pants as she levered him onto his side so that he might breathe more easily. He was awake enough to scream in protest. The sound travelled as far as Teal'c still squatting behind the dialing device.

By now the ground was soaked. Sam's skull echoed with the continued volleys of fire from the tree line and she could not take in what she was seeing. The shot has gone right through him, like a solid missile, leaving a bloody mess behind – bones, muscle, beating heart.

She pressed her hands to Jack's torso, hoping somehow to staunch the bleeding. Fluid flowed between her fingers, soaking her hands. Daniel could see her lips moving as he watched, immobile in his shock.

'No,' She whispered. Sense wrestled for dominance in her head. She could see the blood, see inside his chest. She knew what it meant, but the idea was inconceivable. It c_ouldn't_ happen! His head thrashed against her thigh.

'Carter,' His teeth were clenched so tightly she could barely hear him. 'Roll—over. Me. Over.' She nodded, rolling him fully onto his back and cradling his head as gently as she could, her fingers leaving red streaks on his skin and hair. She sobbed, unable to hold the tears at bay as he looked at her.

'Jack...' His arm jerked, blindly reaching for her. She caught his hand and pressed his bloody fingers to her lips. 'Don't you dare.' She leaned over him, kissing his face, his mouth, her tears leaving smudges in the grime on his cheeks.

'Sam-' he coughed again, his shattered ribcage lurching against her hand as he fought to continue, '..you.'

She looked up at Daniel who shook his head, uncomprehending as he watched Jack try to say goodbye.

'You, Sam.' He shut his eyes. Sam grit her teeth, pulling his body against her in a protective gesture, jumping slightly when she felt his fading heartbeat against her palm.

'Please! I love you.' Why had she been so afraid? Why had she never said the words?

Daniel watched as Sam gently rocked Jack's body, touching his face and talking to him like a child with a doll. He roughly swiped beneath his glasses to clear his vision and steeled himself.

'Sam.' She ignored him. '_Sam.'_ He took her hand from where it rested over Jack's still heart. She looked up. 'He's gone Sam.'

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Teal'c brought his fist down on the clip, slamming it home with vehemence. His last one. Rising to take care of a couple of soldiers who had been making their way towards his position around the edge of the trees, he twiddled his radio.

'Daniel Jackson. I have one clip and two grenades remaining. O'Neill and Major Carter must be ready to retreat when it is detonated.

_'Copy Teal'c but – Jack won't be coming with us.' _Teal'cs heart clenched. He had feared the worst but had until now, refused to consider that possibility.

'Very well. We shall proceed without him.' But before Teal'c or Daniel could make a move, Sam grabbed Daniel's radio.

'Wait! Teal'c - is the crystal inside the DHD smashed or is it just the casing?' She waited for his reply, her breathing coming in short gasps. The idea of leaving Jack's body as a trophy for Hyden made her sick and if there was another way then she would do it. After a moment the radio buzzed.

'I believe the crystal is intact Major Carter.'

'Good. Do you still have a zat?'

'Sam?' Daniel was looking at her as if he were not quite sure whether to trust her sanity right now.

'Teal'c, use one grenade to buy you time to dial. Zat the crystal.' Daniel interrupted again.

'Will that work?'

'I don't know!' Daniel shut up. 'We'll only have one chance at this Teal'c. If it works we can use the second grenade to make a run for the gate. We just need enough power to establish a wormhole. Once it's stable it should be able to draw power from earth's gate.'

Teal'c responded in the affirmative but before they could act on their plan the bursts from the forest stopped so suddenly Daniel thought he had gone deaf. He spun around bewildered as a sickeningly familiar voice broke the short-lived silence.

'You are outnumbered and have casualties. Surrender and you will be returned to the institute unharmed. Continue to resist and we shall be forced to respond with deadly force.' Behind the dais, Daniel heard Sam mutter 'Deadly force,' her knuckles white on the barrel of her P-90. He laid a hand on her arm, afraid that she may do something stupid. 'We're doing this Daniel.' There were tears tracks still on her face and her voice was pained but authoritative. With Jack down, Sam was in command and he could not argue. He nodded, deciding to take a leaf out of Jack's book and stall for time. He reached for his radio again.

'Whenever you think it's the right time Teal'c.' he glanced across the smoky clearing to Teal'c, sheltered behind the DHD and caught his nod. Slowly, Daniel stood, the steps to the Stargate were tall enough that he could just look over and stared through the gate at the man who had brought about Jack's death, standing only yards away, within the clearing. 'I don't know if you've noticed,' he called out, trying to keep his tone light, despite the anger and pain burning inside him. 'But the phrases "institute" and "no harm" are mutually exclusive.' Hyden opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a soft 'chink' before an explosion knocked him off his feet, to land crumpled on the ground, several feet from where he had been stood. Daniel had seen Teal'cs move from the corner of his eye and both he and Sam had curled up, heads and ears covered when the grenade detonated.

The minute that followed was fuelled entirely by instinct; any chance of controlled, calculated actions long gone. With Sam and Daniel providing cover, each on the last limb of their ammunition supply, Teal'c moved at a crawl around the base of the DHD and dialed earth then pulled out his zat, as shots seared past him, the marshals aim obscured by the smoke following the explosions. Daniel's voice burst through the radio as Teal'c reached safety again behind the lit DHD. '_Teal'c! Are you ready?_' But an answer wasn't necessary. The blue vortex of the active Stargate rushed forward and settled, giving the smoky forest an eerie glow and without further instruction, Teal'c launched the final grenade and ran.

Behind the dais, Daniel finished sending the IDC and glanced once at Sam. She nodded, jimmying her weapon and with a deep breath, Daniel glanced down at Jack's body again and plunged from behind the steps into the melee of the clearing. Sprinting together they reached the foot of the long steps, with marshals on their heels, still firing. With no choice but to turn their backs and run, hoping, Daniel was sure he was about to feel fire rip through him as Jack had, when sparks flew around the ring of the gate and the light from the event horizon died. He heard Sam's yell of fear and dismay, looking wildly around, saw the smoldering remains of the DHD to his right, destroyed. For a second, he paused, but shouted orders from the trees urged the marshals closer. Sam felt Daniel catch hold of her hand and met his eyes and then Teal'cs as he glanced in her direction. Teal'c went onto one knee, P-90 raised and Sam and Daniel followed suit, ready to go down fighting. As the inevitability of death settled over them, not only the clearing, but also the sky erupted with vibrating sound.

**AN On the whole, I'm not sure how well I write action. Maybe it's just one of those 'never liking your own work' things. Either way, constructive criticism is loved. And I claim artistic license on my interpretation of Stargate physics )**

**Another cliffhanger I know. Too dramatic? Who cares? Let me know what you thought and I'll try but can't promise another update before Christmas. If not, hope you all have a great holiday and look after each other )**

**prometheus246**


	25. Examining Mortality

**Hi. Exams are over, thank god, so I am going to try and put some time into all my ongoing stories within the next few weeks. And now, the answers to lots of thus far unanswered questions... Thank you all for waiting so patiently.**

**Chapter 25 – Examining Mortality**

The downdraft that swept the clearing was so powerful that it forced Sam's eyelids closed. When she was able to squint again she saw white light periodically shooting into the ground from above to become solid, become people. The smoke around her swirled in the wind and when finally she was able to open her eyes she, Daniel and Teal'c stood surrounded by scores of men and women, all dressed in similar blue uniforms and all apparently having just dropped out of the sky.

It was clear that the marshals had no more of a clue as to what was going on than SG1 did. Sam was still trying to make sense of what she was seeing when Daniel spoke, quietly.

'It's Roan.' He was staring towards the front of the ranks of blue clad soldiers with their backs to them.

'What?'

'Daniel Jackson is correct.' Teal'c pointed. A bald patch was visible between the shoulders of several much taller people. Roan stood at the front of the group with a man beside him whom he was evidently in conversation with. After only a few seconds, during which the marshals had barely enough time to wonder whether or not to shoot, the man beside Roan raised his arm. In response to this signal, the newcomers each activated a device worn around the wrist and one by one they disappeared and so, simultaneously, did the marshals. With each burst of white light that accompanied the disappearance of one of the men or women in blue; one of the marshals also disappeared. It was as though the became dissociated from reality, like catching something vanish out of the corner of your eye, only to look back and wonder if it had actually been there to begin with. Eventually only Roan and the man beside him remained. He was a study in contrasts with Roan: tall, with angular features and dark, intelligent eyes.

Sam that found her voice first.

'Roan! What the hell just happened?'

'Don't worry Major, they haven't been harmed.' She looked unconvinced. 'They've been returned to the city. Unfortunately it seems Hyden has fled.'

He stepped toward her but she backed away so he stopped, raising his hands placatingly. 'I'm sorry.' He sighed heavily, looking almost ashamed of himself. 'You all deserve an explanation: firstly, and this may be obvious: I am not human. Well actually, right now, I _am, _but only because this is the form I have chosen to take.' He stopped. Judging by looks looks on the team's faces, he was doing a pretty poor job of making things clearer.

'I am..._We_ are, collectively, the Arbeons.' He gestured to the man beside him who had yet to utter a word.

Daniel made a sound of sudden realisation. Sam looked questioningly at him.

'Daniel?'

'Portas celesti.' He murmured.

'Excuse me?' She was not in the mood to try and guess what he was talking about.

'When we first arrived here – Hyden, he called the stargate "the great ring." But you -' He gestured to Roan and his silent companion. 'you called it _Portas celesti –_ Stargate. It's Latin.' He turned to Sam and Teal'c who stared at him, failing, so far, to see his point. 'And _arbeo_, translated from Latin means _to change.' _Roan was smiling.

'You're correct. We have the ability to change our form as we wish.' He had the tone of somebody agreeing that the sky was blue.

'You're shape shifters?' Sam asked, doubtful. She still was not ready to trust these people or anything they had to say.

'In a manner of speaking but it's more a case of altering the form and consistency of energy than actually rearranging matter.' At this point Roan's companion spoke up for the first time.

'I'm afraid this could take years to fully explain. May I try to simplify things?' He addressed Sam rather than Roan and she was surprised by how gentle his voice was.

'Please.'

'The people that Hyden governs are not originally from this planet. They arrived centuries ago, having escaped from a planet terrorised by a minor Goa'uld. We exist mostly as energy and very rarely take solid form so we were happy to allow them to settle here and use the space. We helped them, to an extent, with technology but only as much as we deemed them able to handle. Then, after a few generations, the damage they inflicted on the surrounding land became unacceptable. Mining, blasting, to make more space. Eventually there was a confrontation and the governor at the time decided that they no longer required our blessing to live here. You must understand that this planet is not only our home, it is sacred to us and the sanctity of nature is something we will fight to protect. It is the only power in this universe worthy of our respect and reverence.

'We confined the population to the next valley. They are permitted to travel here, but never to settle, under the understanding that there would be severe consequences. This was generations ago and since then, we have had no contact with them. The governors alone have been aware of the full history of our peoples and the agreement that was made. For everybody else, it is simply folklore. Hyden has been arrogant in thinking that he could bring soldiers here without consequence. It seems he has realised his mistake.' He raised his eyebrows as if to say 'cause he hasn't stuck around.' Sam nodded. What they had been told so far made sense and accounted for a few things: the mixed levels of technology in the institute; Hyden's reluctance to search too widely for them; his sudden disappearance. But she was still no more clued in about the events of the last five minutes.

'I'm sorry. I still don't understand what this has to do with us and with you ...being—here.' She paused, another thought occurring to her. ' And Roan...? Why was he at the institute?' The Arbeon smiled, nodding.

'Of course. That has yet to be explained. When you came through the portas, you were the first ones to do so since the refugees arrived. Naturally we were curious. However, so was Hyden and when he arrived so quickly, we felt it would encroach somewhat on our mutual non-interference if we were to show ourselves. We sent Roan to observe you, covertly, until we knew more about you. When you decided to escape from the institute, Roan guided you and stayed with you to watch. When it became apparent that Hyden would never allow you to make it back to your planet unharmed, he left you in order to inform the rest of us of what he had learned. As a group we agreed that you had been treated unjustly and that we had a duty to help.'

'I'll say!' Daniel had grown gradually more and more irritated as the man had calmly delivered his account. He was enraged at the idea of another race in the galaxy who were happy to sit back and watch people in danger, never having the guts to do anything about it and the consequence was the death of a close friend - a man who had done more good for this galaxy than any of these races with superiority issues. 'There are people back at the institute dying! I was nearly one of them, and you--' he broke off and and turned on Roan. 'You've had the ability to help us all along and you let us go through that!? Sam could have died – any of us could! What gives you the right? Jack has died while you've been sitting mulling over whether to risk your cushy safety helping people who came here looking for allies – for a way to help _millions_ of people who are enslaved.'

'I'm sorry,' The man interrupted, even though it was obvious that Daniel had more to say. 'I truly am, for the death of your friend. From what Roan tells me, he was a...courageous person. Unfortunately, it is not our right to change the course of nature. We agreed only to ensure that you were able to return to you own planet. His death was unfortunate but we could not intervene until the last moment. As for the institute. It is none of our business. We will not interfere with the way they run their justice system. They are responsible for their own society and we are responsible for ours.' He still sounded calm but raised his chin defiantly and the silence stretched, filled only with Daniel's palpable fury. Unexpectedly, Roan spoke up.

'Alnair, isn't there something we could do...about their friend? It's just--'

'No, Roan.' Suddenly the man's voice matched his appearance. He sounded harsh and his tone left no room for discussion. However, Daniel's interest had been well and truly piqued.

'What do you mean 'something?' Can you do that? Do you have the ability to bring Jack back?' He stepped closer to Roan, looking him dead in the eye and defying him to avoid the question. Roan looked uncomfortable. Alnair apparently did not like being shut out of the discussion. He stepped between them but Daniel would not take his eyes of Roan who had once again taken on the same shifty, nervous demeanor that had become familiar to them.

'We can not. He is dead. It would be against nature itself.' Alnair insisted.

'But it can be done.' Daniel was no longer asking. He was sure they could do it. And if there was one iota of chance that Jack was not lost to them he would grab it with both hands and dig his heels in.

'It has never been done. We have never and _would_ never do such a thing. I have told you, nature is sacred to us. In all things there must be balance or the very fabric of existence would unravel. He is dead and must remain so. You must leave.' He gestured toward the gate.

'Wait.' Daniel stepped back and took a steadying breath, 'I just want to make sure that you understand the repercussions of your decision. Jack was more than a soldier. He was like family to the three of us and he was fighting for the safety and freedom of people throughout this galaxy. He has made a bigger difference than you can imagine...that's what you're sacrificing.'

'I have never met a person more worthy of life than O'Neill.' Teal'c took Daniel's corner, staring the two aliens down, but they didn't give an inch.

'His body is already part of our planet. _You_ must leave.'

At this, Sam's eyes widened. She turned and ran round the dais stopping short when she saw that Alnair was right. All that remained were streaks of Jack's blood across the dry mud. His body was gone. Teal'c arrived beside her, followed by Daniel who stared in horror.

'They took him.' His voice was low and his words uttered through clenched teeth. He spun back toward the Arbeons who looked thoroughly confused at his renewed anger. 'Bring his body back--'

'Daniel. Leave it.' Sam's quiet plea stopped Daniel in his tracks. He looked at her properly for the first time in a while. She looked exhausted. Tear tracks still stained her cheeks. It was obvious she didn't want to remain here a second longer than she had to. The Arbeon man looked grateful for her intervention but she would not meet his eyes. She looked instead toward the stargate. 'Can you send us home?' she asked, still not looking at him. Slowly, he nodded, activating his wrist device. Behind them the inner ring of the stargate began to spin.

As the chevrons locked, Sam faced the gate. With her back to her team mates, she tried again to pull herself together. For a brief moment, she had been caught by the hope that maybe they would see Jack again, but Alnair's blunt insistence, _'He's dead.'_ forced her to let him go all over again. She did not want to stay here and examine Jack's mortality. She wanted to go home, live the rest of her life and feel, for every second that she continued to breathe, the aching space he had left, as sharply as she did now.

Another tear escaped her closed lids before she opened them, inhaling weakly as the vortex subsided.

Daniel fished a GDO from his vest and sent the code, then made for the steps, taking Sam's hand.

'Come on Sam.' He glanced back toward the two men, glaring daggers, then turned his back on them. She followed him toward the event horizon with Teal'c bringing up the rear of the group.

As the wormhole disengaged, Alnair turned to Roan.

'She did not seem to feel the loss of the colonel as strongly as the others. She barely spoke a word in his defense. You said they were all close – like family.'

Roan pulled his gaze away from the empty ring of the gate and looked Alnair in the eye, remembering what he had witnessed of the very different friendship that Sam and the colonel shared.

'You're mistaken. She felt his loss much more keenly than Teal'c and Dr Jackson. They have lost a family member and friend, but she has lost her future.'

**Phew, didn't think I'd ever get this posted. **

**Poor Sam! Anyway, please let me know what you thought.**

**prometheus246**


	26. To Bear Witness

**Wow, no more than a week between updates. I bet you're happy with me. Thankyou again for your reviews. Enjoy...**

**Chapter 26 – Arbitro Arbeo – To Bear Witness.**

Sam decided she must have looked in much worse shape than she realised because it seemed that she had barely set foot on the ramp within the SGC when she was whisked away on a gurney,surrounded by hordes of medical staff and before she knew it she was propped up on pillows with the curtains drawn and her shirt off while Janet inspected her stitches and as gently as possible, removed the drainage tube. Sam answered Janet's questions as best she could, honestly glad to see her friend again. It was difficult though, every now and then her throat would close up and she would be unable speak for several moments. She could tell Janet was getting worried about her.

'You were all declared MIA a week ago. I know they tried to dial the planet several times but something was blocking the connection. I can't wait to tell Cassie you're back. She's been really upset.' Just then, Daniel and Teal'c arrived and Daniel was pulled onto another bed by one of the senior medical staff in order to pump him full of antihistamines and vitamins. Teal'c stood silently between their two beds while a nurse took his temperature. Janet pulled back the curtains around Sam's bed.

The unnatural silence of her colleagues worried her and she searched for something to get them talking. 'Well, the colonel did a great job on you Sam, I'll have to consider hiring him. I take it he's still talking with General Hammond...?' She trailed off at the looks she got from SG1. Sam looked as though she was about to be sick; Daniel gaped at her and Teal'c looked...thoroughly grim. '...What? Guys, what's going on?'

'O'Neill was killed on the planet before we were able to return through the stargate.' The Jaffa's voice sounded rougher than usual. Janet's hand flew to her mouth.

'Oh God, he's dead?' Nobody spoke but Daniel nodded slowly, staring somewhere over her shoulder. Janet's hands shook. Perhaps letting Cassie know of SG1's return would not be the joyful moment she had pictured. She glanced at Sam. Suddenly her friend's almost total silence since her return made sense and looking at the distant expressions on Daniel and Teal'cs faces, she realised that she probably had reason to worry about the psychological well-being of all of SG1, all that was left. 'Uh, Sam, I need you to stay here for now, for observation.' She spoke to the nurse treating Daniel. 'I want full physical exams on all three and prescribe Dr Jackson some immune boosters. I'll be back shortly.' With that she excused herself and within minutes was knocking on the general's office door.

When he called for her to enter she did so to find him sat in his chair with his laptop open but he was clearly not concentrating. His face held the same intense loss she had seen in the faces of Jack's team. She stepped toward his desk. 'Sir, I just heard what happened.' she paused, unsure of how to go on. 'How are you?' He sat back in his chair and sighed.

'To be honest Doctor, I'm struggling to take it in. SG1 have beaten the odds so many times and always made it back in one piece. It's almost difficult to believe that our luck as finally run out.' She nodded. 'How are they?' Janet took a deep breath.

'Well sir, they're all quite weak, but surprisingly healthy...they've obviously taken good care of each other. I haven't been able to conduct a full examination yet but from the looks of them they've been through a lot, particularly Daniel and Sam. Sam's had to have field surgery for an appendicitis. Amazingly, that seems to have gone off mostly without a hitch. She'll take longer to fully recover than if she'd been properly treated but in a few of months she could be back to her old self...physically speaking that is. Daniel will need some carefully regulated meds for a few days but again, he should make a full recovery.' Hammond was staring out into the conference room as she spoke. 'Sir, do we know what happened to them?' The general turned back to face her a carefully controlled look of disgust on his face.

'From what Dr Jackson and Teal'c have told me, they were effectively used as guinea pigs for experimentation.'

'Is that how...is that what happened to Colonel O'Neill?' George shook his head. Janet's look of horror matched how he felt.

'No. Colonel O'Neill was shot while SG1 tried to make it back through the Stargate. According to Dr Jackson, he died very quickly. I'm afraid that so far, I have little more idea than you of the details. Official debriefing is tomorrow morning, provided you think that SG1 will be fit?' He raised his eyebrows in question.

'They should be sir. But they all seem to be in varying degrees of shock. They're all very quiet, but that's not surprising, considering...'

The general shook his head sadly, 'No, ' he said. 'no it's not.'

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After a long and painful debriefing with SG1, General Hammond put the team on indefinite downtime. Daniel was allowed to go home and Teal'c to his quarters. Sam was forced to remain in the infirmary for another 48 hours, after which Janet removed her stitches and put her on medical leave with strict instructions to rest and not lift anything weighing more than a few pounds.

Rather than try to find an airman who could drive her home, Sam headed for her quarters on base and locked the door behind her. She lowered herself onto the covers, her side twinging and lay down, staring at the concrete ceiling. She tried to think; something she had avoided doing so far, until she was somewhere private. What was going to happen? General Hammond would make funeral arrangements. He might ask her to say a few words, but she knew she wouldn't be able to. Daniel would say something moving and appropriate. The president might even be there.

Cassie would be distraught and Sam would hug her and cry too. General Hammond would find a replacement leader for SG1 and they would continue as before, but without Jack.

The thoughts she had kept chained at the back of her mind now broke free, assaulting her with the images her brain had conjured, years ago, when she had finally realised the depths of her feelings for her commanding officer. Her mind had provided her with the images she held onto when things where at their worst, thoughts that had kept her going. Her hopes, which she had known where there but had refused to examine, out of duty. Now there was nothing to hold them at bay: Family Christmases at a cabin in Minnesota; a dog...named Thor; grandchildren that had somehow picked up Jack's cheeky grin before they could even walk. Possibilities that had missed their chance to become reality.

It was strange that with the requirements that were put on them as a result of their jobs; the dangers they faced on a daily basis, she had never fully considered how she would cope if one of the team was killed. With Daniel, it had been agony. She found it almost impossible to continue with her life as though there wasn't something massively wrong with the world, but the colonel had dragged her kicking an screaming to face the reality that she was still needed 'out there.' She had clung to the remaining friendships she had with Jack and Teal'c and somehow, she had coped. She wasn't sure how well that would work this time.

So, when she woke, she forced herself painfully out of bed and went to find Teal'c. She was only half surprised when she knocked and opened to the door to his quarters to find Daniel already there.

'Hey Sam, how did you sleep.'

'Like I hadn't had a good night's sleep in weeks.' she told him. He nodded pulling an extra chair toward her. Sam looked up to thank him and saw the tears in his eyes, so she sat down and took his hand. 'What's happening about a funeral?'

'General Hammond has everything arranged for the day after tomorrow. In the Gateroom.'

After a few minutes of silence Daniel spoke again. 'Is it just me that can't quite accept it? I mean – I saw it happen, but somehow it just feels like he's going to show up at the door any second talking about cake.' Sam snorted. It was the first time she had smiled in days and it almost felt too large for her face. Teal'c smiled too as Daniel shook his head at the bizarre notion.

"_Unscheduled offworld activation.'_

SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1

The dash to the control room left both Sam and Daniel out of breath. General Hammond was waiting for them. He nodded toward the closed iris.

'The incoming wormhole is from P2k-485. There's no IDC. We've sent a 'hold' signal.'

Daniel stared thoughtfully at the gate and the blue light dancing on the wall behind it. Sam caught Teal'cs eye, knowing the thought that had passed between the three of them, back in his quarters, when the alarm had sounded.

'I doubt it's anything to do with Hyden. The DHD was destroyed. They didn't have the technology to dial the gate without one right Sam?'

'I don't think so.'

'It could be the Arbeons.' General Hammond turned to Teal'c.

'The ones who sent you back?'

'Indeed.'

'Well, why would they be calling here?' He looked back at Daniel who shrugged. 'I'm not going to let them through unless you recommend it.' He told them. Daniel glanced at Sam. She mimicked his shrug.

'I don't think they have any intention of harming us sir. They're pacifists.'

'Very well. Open the iris sergeant.' Walter put his hand to the palm scanner and the iris retracted smoothly. Hammond and the three members of SG1 headed down to the gateroom. As they arrived, the event horizon rippled and a short balding man in a blue uniform appeared on the ramp.

'Roan.' Daniel greeted the man, though his voice held no welcome.

'Dr. Jackson. I'm glad to see you looking healthier.'

'It's good to be...healthier. Um,' he stepped back. 'Roan, this is General Hammond. He's the leader of this facility.' Roan nodded to the general immediately spoke again to Daniel.

'I am here in the hopes that our species may in the future have better relations than when you left our planet.' He held up a hand before Daniel could speak. 'I know that you may consider our ways cowardly but we respect you and the work you do...and there is information we may be able to offer you in the future that you can use in your fight against the goa'uld.'

'What kind of information?' The General stood moved to stand beside Daniel at the base of the ramp.

'Scientific information. Some understanding of our...abilities would, I'm sure, prove useful in scientific advancements that you could use in protection of this, and other planets from the threat the goa'uld pose. If I am honest, we know little of the rest of the galaxy but that does not mean that we are uncaring.'

'We...appreciate the offer. I will not be able to make a decision immediately. We will have to consider it carefully.' Roan looked confused.

'What is to consider? We are offering you knowledge, which may turn the tide of the war you are fighting and we ask for nothing in return.'

Daniel tried to explain. 'Roan, we consider any trade or alliance very carefully. We have to be sure that the offer is being made for the right reasons. We can't just accept without fully understanding what it entails, although, believe me there are some politicians who would be happy for us to do just that.' Roan was nodding as he spoke.

'Of course, I understand. Also, I wanted to apologise for any part we may have had to play in what happened to you on our planet. We may also have made some assumptions about your wishes regarding Colonel O'Neill's body. As a gesture of good will, we reformed his body as it was.' Roan raised his arm and pulled back his sleeve to reveal a wrist device identical to the ones worn by Alnair and the other Arbeon soldiers. He pressed a button and the event horizon which had remained active behind Roan rippled again to reveal Jack O'Neill's body, laying serenely on a stretcher of sorts, which moved smoothly through the air, a full yard off the ground until it came to a stop and dropped slowly to rest at the bottom of the ramp.

It seemed that nobody in the room was breathing. All eyes stayed riveted on their fallen colleague. His wounds were gone and uniform was untarnished. He lay still, hands resting on his stomach.

Daniel could not speak. Just as he had not been prepared for Jack's death, he now found himself not unprepared to see his friend's lifeless body so close at hand. Without thinking, he climbed the first step at the foot of the ramp and laid a hand on Jack's chest. He was cold and his stillness seemed somehow to make the whole thing even more unnatural.

'_Ten Hut!_' He jumped and looked round. The airmen lining the wall of the gate room had lowered their weapons at their feet and now stood straight, in a crisp salute. He glanced up to see the officers in the control room had done likewise.

For the first time, it felt real, seeing the soldiers saluting their colleague and seeing Teal'c and Sam's barely constrained grief.

'I hope that in time, relations between our people will be good. I wish that there was more that we could do to help in the future. Over the past few weeks, I have witnessed your collective strength. Colonel O'Neill fought to prevent any of you coming to harm.' Roan's lips twitched in a half smile. 'I came to understand that even his apparent bad temper was simply a result of the fear he felt for all of your safety. He showed incredible courage and strength. All of you surprised me by your willingness to sacrifice your own safety for the well-being of your team and I was impressed.' he told them sincerely, his gaze taking in the whole gateroom and the control room above. 'However, we are bound by our obligation to protect our planet and to uphold nature. Alnair was right. In all things, there must be _balance_ and so I wish you goodbye. _ Arbitro Arbeo.' _He smiled and turned to walk back up the ramp. Hammond looked quizzically at Daniel, who was staring at the little man's back. He repeated Roan's parting words under his breath.

'Arbitro Arbeo. ' _To bear witness and to change._'Wait!' Daniel started forward onto the foot of the ramp but stopped dead as Roan erupted into white flame where he stood, framed by the gate; his face turned upward. Daniel heard Sam gasp and the sounds of several weapons engaging around the room. 'Don't!' he told them, throwing his arms out for the SFs to stand down. The fire burned for only a few seconds before dying quickly, leaving a small amount of ash scattered over the grille of the ramp.

Daniel turned back to face the others, eyes wide. General Hammond and Teal'c stared back at him with identical expressions of shock. Sam seemed unable to tear her eyes away from the spot where Roan had burned; her face white. Unable to explain what had just happened Daniel shook his head, giving a helpless half shrug. He tugged off his glasses to rub his eyes when Teal'c seized him around the middle and hauled him back away from the ramp, his feet never touching the floor. 'What!?' Spinning around, he saw what. '_No.' _

They watched, horror-struck as Jack coughed violently, his hand lifting to clutch at his chest before drawing a wrenching breath and bolting upright so fast he nearly fell of the ramp.

'Ow god!' He coughed again, rubbing the spot on his chest where there had been nothing but jagged ribs and his pulse failing against Sam's palm. 'I thought I got hit!' He looked up at his team, forcing air back into his lungs, and took in the terror on their faces. 'What?'

**AN I missed Jack D Roan rules! (and you all thought he was an evil slimy bastard (evil author laugh)) got quite fluffy in the middle there huh?One more chapter and maybe an epilogue. R and R please **

**prometheus246**


	27. Same As Always

**Final chapter – (fluff warning) Sorry again that it took so long, college is nuts, but I thoroughly enjoyed writing this one. Don't you reckon it's time Sam and Jack sorted this whole mess out? Me too, so here it is :**

**Chapter 27 – Same as _Always._**

Jack fish-mouthed at Daniel.

'Dead? Again!?' He dropped his head back against the infirmary pillows. Some things were just too much to deal with and his body and mind were refusing to cooperate any longer. Daniel was saying something.

'...I think Roan chose to die so that you could live.'

'Why did my living depend on his dying!?' Jack demanded, aggravated by his mixed feelings about the alien: guilt, gratitude, trepidation.

'Balance. That's what he said.' Jack sighed, rubbing his sore head.

'Sounds like ...' he struggled to remember the name, 'Oma?' Daniel just nodded.

Jack yelped, jerking away from Janet as she continued her examination. 'Jeez Doc, your hands are freezing.' Janet looked up and smiled at him.

'Sorry Colonel, it's not everyday I examine somebody who's come back from the dead.' He pulled a face as if to say _How do you think I feel? _

'It is good to have you back O'Neill.' Teal'c dipped his head in respect his lips twitching slightly with amusement.

'It's good to be back T. And to have woken up on the right side of the gate again. And,he nodded to the top of Janet's head as she tested the reflexes in his knees. ' ...to get all this female attention. Ow!'

'I'm sorry Colonel did that hurt?' Janet asked, smiling mildly.

'It's fine.' He mumbled, rubbing his knee. He was distracted from the pain, however, by a realisation his tired brain had suddenly presented to him. He craned his neck to see past where Daniel and Teal'c stood in the doorway. 'Where's Carter?'

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As soon as Sam had shut her front door she had fallen against it, sinking to the floor and crying silently against her knees for several minutes until she was able to get up, brush herself off and make her way to the kitchen to rinse her face. She filled a glass of water and drank it slowly, staring out of the dark window into her back garden, looking, but not really seeing. The events of the last couple of days flashed through her mind and she saw, as brightly as if he were in the room, the white flame erupt from nothing and swallow Roan whole. She shook her head, focusing her eyes and her own reflection stared back at her from the window. She looked pale and incredibly thin. She hadn't actually looked in a mirror the whole time she'd been back on Earth and now the bones of her shoulders sticking out sharply under her jacket were very obvious.

She looked so weak that somehow she felt that she could not trust what her senses told her had happened. Surely it was a result of her emotional exhaustion and her all encompassing desire to have him back, configured by her mind to show her what she hoped to see, but even this logic failed to hold sway. She knew what she had seen, didn't she?

What if she went back to the SGC tomorrow and he wasn't there? What if Roan had returned his body and it was lying in the morgue and nobody else had any recollection of miraculous resurrections or people bursting into flame? Would she be able to deal with the despair that that would cause her? No.

She walked around the breakfast bar to the couch and slumped against the cushions, her head back, considering the morbid possibility that she was going well and truly mad. It wasn't until the second ring that she heard the doorbell.

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Jack held his breath as the door opened. Carter didn't say anything, staring at him while looking as though she might be sick at any moment.

In the infirmary, when he had realised that she wasn't there, he'd been worried. It was not like the major to bail, in any situation, but this mission and the subsequent fallout had taken a greater toll on her than usual. Doc Fraiser had half heartedly tried to persuade him to stay in bed but it was clearly a lost cause. While a shy young airman had driven him silently to Carter's place Jack had had fiddled with his keys, growing more and more agitated.

Looking at her now, framed in the light from her hallway he was amazed that a) she looked a hell of a lot worse than he thought she would and b) she was still holding herself together. It seemed like years since he had seen her properly and watching her, holding the door open for him and clearly fighting for every moment of control, made all his feelings for her hit him at once. It was difficult not to simply step over the threshold and hug her so tightly that she would dissolve into his skin. It might be exactly what she needed but it could also be the last thing she wanted and he wasn't going to take the risk.

'Sam.'

'Sir.' He closed his eyes at that, but let it pass.

'How are you?' Sam was startled by this. But of course it was typical that having just come back from the dead, he would be worried about how she was doing.

'I—' She wanted to say "I'm fine." but she was pretty sure he would see right through that. 'I don't know.' Her voice broke and tears that she had been holding at bay spilled over.

Without asking, Jack stepped into the house and closed the door behind him. He turned back to her, letting his hands rest on her shoulders.

'Carter, I know this is nuts.' He smiled gently. 'I don't even know what happened between ...' he paused as images rushed back to him like remembering a dream you'd forgotten you even had; like deja vu: Sam was crying, but she wasn't stood in her hallway, she was kneeling over him, she was touching his face with blood soaked fingers and pressing her lips against his. 'I remember dying.' He closed his eyes, still holding her arms and tried to reconstruct what happened. But apart from those few moments he couldn't remember anything until he woke up on the ramp with his chest burning like he'd run a marathon.

He felt Carter shaking and looked up. She was biting her lip and tears still coursed silently down her cheeks. 'Hey, c'mon Carter. Everything worked out ok.' he said gently, hoping to reassure her. She shook her head violently, refusing to meet his eyes.

'No Jack everything is _not _ok!' She pushed him in the chest and spun away, heading down the passage. Jack's reflexes surprised them both: he caught her elbow before she had gone two steps and pulled her back to him as gently as he could without giving her chance to escape.

'No Sam, you are _not_ doing this again! We have had more stupid arguments over the last two weeks than in the whole of the time I've known you. Now for god's sake, tell me what's wrong!' Sam couldn't tell him what was wrong. She didn't want to voice it. Her fury at the whole situation momentarily drove her wits out of the window so she hooked a hand around his neck and pulled him down to her in a kiss that bruised his lips and for several seconds made him completely unable to remember what his question had been.

As his brain began to re-engage, Sam loosened her hold on his neck and her kisses gentled, became less insistent. Jack cupped her face in both hands and returned the soft touches of her mouth on his, his thumbs stroking her neck but stopped when he felt hot tears fall against his skin.

Pulling back, he searched her face for answers but her eyes were closed.

'Carter?' she opened her eyes. It took a few moments for her to look at him.

'I didn't think you were coming back this time.' She whispered. Jack reeled, his hands fell from her face.

Something inside him shouted that it would never happen – he would _always_ come back, but their latest mission had proved that no matter how many lucky escapes SG1 had managed, they were all still human. They answered to the same laws and any of them could fall at any time. Jack had always done his best to play down this reality for the sake of morale but Sam, she had had it dropped on her with his death and there was no way she could ignore it any longer. She stepped out of his grip, her jaw set. 'I can't do it any more Jack.'

He couldn't help noticing her complete abandonment of his rank. 'Do what? SG1?' Was she resigning? She shook her head.

'No, I can do that, the war, the danger, the whole thing. Let's be honest, I don't really have a choice, things are as bad as ever with the goa'uld, but I can't do _this_.' She waved between them.

Jack said nothing, even if he knew what to say he wouldn't have been able to speak past his heart in his throat. 'Ignoring it is _not_ going to work any longer. I can deal with being bashed around; shot at; facing all the shit that we deal with everyday, but I can't do all that and still have to act like I don't feel anything for you. It's too much.'

He looked back into her determined face.

'Okay, what do you wanna do about that?' He asked. She glanced away, apparently steeling herself.

'Well...that depends on you. On how you feel...about us.' she clarified, her eyes never leaving his. Having decided that enough was enough, she now felt strangely calm about the revelation that it was all or nothing for her.

'You didn't want _us_.' he reminded her.

'Dammit Jack, please don't keep using that that to hide behind--'

'Hide behind!?'

'Look, I'm not talking about then. I'm talking about _now_. And I'm asking what _you_ want.' This time it was she that made contact, resting her palm against his cheek. He found himself unable to prevent his eyes from closing at her touch and when he opened them again, she was looking at him with an apprehension he had rarely seen.

'I want _you_ Sam. Same as always.' And like a switch had been flicked, she smiled and looked like her old self again. Swooping down, he kissed her and she responded, wrapping her arms around him. Relinquishing her lips he tucked his face against her neck.

'I'm sorry I scared you.' He felt her tighten her hold.

'It's ok. Just don't make a habit of it.' she murmured, grazing her lips along the skin below his ear. 'I love you.' She pulled back to kiss him again, her fingers thoroughly messing up his hair.

'I love you too.' he whispered against her lips and felt her smile mischievously. Going up on her toes, the better to reach, she nipped his lower lip gently.

'Prove it.' she grinned and turning, she flicked off the light and lead him down the passageway by the hand.

**AN There you go folks. That's the lot. Happily ever after. I've not gone into detail about how they figure out being together/working together – we all know they'd find a way around the rules, Sam's a genius remember. Hope you enjoyed it. Let me know. Thanks again for reading and leaving all your awesome reviews: you guys rock! **

**prometheus246**


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